Oracle's Ring: Death & Rebirth
by Fortuneuji
Summary: Global Internet Security Bearu, a straight forward organisation maintaining the peace and security of the World Wide Web, or is it a facade for something much darker...? Requires Chinese Simplified(GB2312)encoding to view properly for first 8 chapters.
1. Prolouge

My first attempt at publishing a fic. Yayness.

Anyhow flames are welcomed, but be nice. If the format sucks. Well, cos I haven¡¯t got the hang of it yet. Sorry. -.-;

**New Note:** I modified the format a bit now. Use encoding Chinese Simplified (GB2312) to make the punctuation work

All characters, concepts, mech designs, blueprints, superpowers, uber cool lines, fashion trends, weapons¡­ yada yada, belong to their respective owners. I only own the storyline and OC, though I haven¡¯t got round to really naming him¡­ but he isn¡¯t really that original.

stares from a gothic looking young man. Oh wait, hordes of gothic looking young men¡­

Umm¡­ whoops¡­

=**Prologue=**

A woman stands at the doorway of her house as a sleek black car pulls into the driveway. The door opens and out steps a man clad in a black suit, followed by a boy barely in his teens. Another black clad man steps out of the driver¡¯s seat. On either sides, the men guided the boy to the doorway where the woman stood.

¡°We¡¯ll leave him to you now.¡±

She nodded, and the two black suited figures went back to the car. Rearing it out of the driveway, the car purred down the road as the young boy stood in front of the woman, head bowed and hands placed in front of him, clutching a black box. A breeze blew, causing his black hair to waver. She stepped aside.

¡°Well, come in then.¡±

The boy looked up as the woman smiled, his blood red eyes sparkling as they met violet ones.

¡°This is your home now.¡±

¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

The woman shook a reprimanding finger.

¡°Uh-uh¡­ from now on I¡¯m your mother.¡±

¡°But¡­¡±

The woman placed her finger over his mouth. Drawing her face nearer, her long chestnut brown hair also began to waver in the breeze.

¡°Hush. God gave me a second chance at being a mother. God gave me you. Will you just pity me, please?¡±

The boy blinked as the woman straightened herself. Hesitantly he took a step into the house, then pulled his other feet in as well. Slowly the ends of his mouth arched upwards. His expression relaxed as he smiled softly.

¡°I¡¯m home¡­ mom.¡±

¡°Welcome home. Run along now and wash up. Your room¡¯s up the stairs and down the hallway.¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

The woman watched as the boy walked down the hall towards the stairs. She closed the door and leaned against it. Closing her eyes and looking down, a sad smile appeared on her face.

¡°He really doesn¡¯t know anything but how to fight. I should be the one to pity him, not the other way round, but it¡¯s better this way, I think. At least¡­¡±

The woman opened her eyes and looked up.

¡°¡­he still knows how to smile.¡±


	2. Chapter 1

**=Chapter 1=**

The year was 2135, and earth was united under the United Nations, forming one single body known as the United Earth Directorate. The move was a tactical one, leaders believing that it would ensure the safety and peace they were enjoying now. It worked in some ways, but failed in others. Though criminal activities have dropped to an all time low, it wasn¡¯t totally stamped out. Population grew exponentially, and soon the blue planet was unable to sustain much more life.

Humans hence turned to a new solution: the matrix. Over the years the group of people who had created the internet, known now by all as creators, improved and evolved their masterpiece into a totally new concept. It was now a dimension of its own, capable to sustaining life as we all know it. Simply through codes were basic needs met, and humans used this newly created technology to expand their cities almost limitlessly.

However, there came consequences. Crime rates soared yet again, hackers being able to manipulate the codes of the matrix. Black societies sprung throughout the new dimension, wrecking havoc in countless areas. To ensure that peace was maintained, the Global Internet Security Bureau was born. An independent wing of the Legion of Iron, the national army of earth, GISB effectively and swiftly clamped down on law breakers in the matrix, resolving the period of unrest. Peace reigned. For now.****

The start of a new day, and people bustled about, getting ready for work or school. In a classroom of one of the colleges in the city known as Labyrinth 2, girls were exchanging fresh gossip and giggling away as boys were doing the so called ¡°macho¡± stuff. However, completely shut off from the hub of activities, a lone black head sat at the back of the class, a pen spinning in his hand as he looked out of the window, watching the clouds go by.

¡°Honestly, you must be the most boring guy I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

Pushing up his glasses, the boy looked up at his fellow classmate. Around him stood the rest of his gang.

¡°Go out and have some fun! You¡¯ve got grades good enough to go in and out of any school as many times as you want!¡±

The seated boy looked at him blankly with his red pupils. Just then the door slid open and their teacher came in, signalling the start of class. Placing his pile of books down on the table, the elderly man looked up at the class.

¡°Good morning. Now if you would open your Navi¡­¡±

The boy resumed staring out of the window as the teacher droned on with his lecture. His portable computer navigator was open on his table, and the writing icon blinked at the log on page. The boy never really used his navi except to complete work set down for them, even though it was ¡°the student¡¯s gateway to the world¡± as said by the manual. He found no need to use it, since he practically memorised every subject by the age of 9, and kept himself updated through books these past 12 years. The navi suddenly beeped softly and the boy looked down at the screen. A message appeared.

_New chat room started. Please log on to participate._

Placing his pen down, the boy placed his hands on the keyboard.

_Name: Sora Truehearted_

Sora looked up at the blackboard where the teacher was scribbling some equations. Thinking for a while, he looked back down at the screen, the writing icon blinking at the password box.

_Password: be as a god_

_Password accepted. Opening chat room._

A few icons zipped by and a blank screen appeared. Words started to appear letter by letter as Sora read the message.

_I know who you are¡­_

Sora¡¯s expression hardly changed as he typed in a few words.

_What is it Ronald?_

_Dang! How did you know it was me?_

_It¡¯s not hard to trace which Navi the messages are coming from._

_Genius¡­ anyway, do you want to go over to the emporium? The guys and I are going to check out the new game they have at the arcade. I heard it¡¯s the latest virtual simulator on the market. Y/N?_

Sora looked up at the blackboard again. The teacher had finished writing the equation and was standing at the window making a little speech on a past experience. He looked back down at the screen.

_I¡¯m going to the book store there. I¡¯ll drop by and see you guys._

_Great.__ My father reserved the place for us from two onwards. See ya there._

Sora closed the screen and logged out. Resuming his gaze at the sky, the teacher droned on for the next hour or so before the bell finally rang, signalling the start of break. Stretching their stiff joints, the students slowly filtered out of the classroom and headed for the cafeteria until Sora was the only one left. Taking out a mobile phone, he inputted a number and placed the receiver on his ear.

Somewhere in the countryside of Labyrinth 2, a phone rang next to a woman preparing tea. Putting the teapot down on a tray, she answered it.

¡°Aeries Truehearted speaking.¡±

¡°Mom?¡±

¡°Well, Sora. It¡¯s strange of you to call at this time of day. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

¡°Some of my friends invited me to go to the arcade at the emporium. I just want to know whether you have any objections.¡±

¡°Of course not. You go on ahead and enjoy yourself with them. Will you be coming back for dinner?¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

¡°I¡¯ll take it as you won¡¯t be then. Make sure you get something to eat outside okay?¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

¡°Have fun. Bye.¡±

¡°Bye.¡±

Aeries placed the phone back down. She could not help but smile as she entered the living room with the tray of teacups and the teapot. The man sitting on the sofa looked up.

¡°I haven¡¯t seen you smile like that for quite a while now.¡±

Aeries placed the tray down and offered him a cup of tea, which he gladly took.

¡°I¡¯m so happy Sora actually made some friends.¡±

The man took a sip from the cup.

¡°You¡¯ll have to define friends first though.¡±

¡°True, but they invited him out. To see him come and go everyday to school then back again at the same time, right down to the very second¡­ it scares me.¡±

¡°You¡¯re happy that he is starting to have a social life?¡±

Aeries nodded, also taking a sip from a cup.

¡°Is he coming back for dinner?¡±

¡°No. Why, Marco?¡±

He placed the cup down and fished something out of his pocket. There, in his palm, a small black box laid.

¡°I wanted to give him this to install in his Navi.¡±

¡°He doesn¡¯t use it that much.¡±

¡°That¡¯s the point. This is a power management chip. It¡¯ll help reduce the energy the Navi uses while on. Sora won¡¯t need to charge it that often with this.¡±

Aeries took the chip.

¡°Thank you.¡±

Marco finished the rest of the tea and stood up.

¡°Well, I have to go. Say hi to Sora for me.¡±

¡°I will. See you.¡±

¡°Bye.¡±

With that Marco left the house and went off to work.

Back in school, break had ended and the students were all seated back at their desks as the teacher entered.

¡°Alright class. Remove all your notes from the table. You have exactly 2 hours to finish the paper posted on the class message board.¡±

The class groaned as the students stuffed all their notes under the tables or in their bags. Logging onto the CMB, they found the 5000 word long essay test they had to finish before school ended. Frowns appeared on most faces as the students tried to recall what they had learned. Sora, however, finished the test before anyone else begun. Receiving the essay, the teacher shook his head and sighed.

¡°Sora, you¡¯ll have to try to shorten your answer.¡±

¡°It was originally 34986 words sir. I shortened it to 11263.¡±

The rest of the class exchanged looks of amusement as the teacher rubbed his forehead.

¡°Try harder next time.¡±

¡°Yes sir.¡±

¡°You may go.¡±

¡°Yes sir.¡±

As Sora left, the teacher turned back to his Navi. After reading the first paragraph, he gave the paper full marks and leaned back against his chair.

¡°Thank god this place has air conditioning.¡±

Walking down the hallway, Sora¡¯s steps echoed in the silence. Finally he came to the main entrance where he headed straight for the path towards the emporium. It was quiet and Sora looked at the clock standing like an imposing finger in the centre of the main square. It read 12:48pm. Walking towards the book store, the doors slid open to allow Sora entrance. The cashier greeted him.

¡°You¡¯re early today. Literature teacher gave you all a test again?¡±

Sora nodded.

¡°I got the books you ordered. There¡¯re some new arrivals over there at the shelves. Feel free to look around.¡±

He walked through the door behind him, leaving Sora to explore the shelves stacked with books. A new encyclopaedia had been released and he ran his finger through the volumes, aimlessly searching for some interesting book. The cashier then appeared with his books and he walked over. Handing him the book he held, Sora took out his credit card and gave it to the cashier. However, he pushed it back and shook his head.

¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You can have these books for free. Consider it a gift from us for being a regular customer.¡±

Sora looked at the cashier, then he bowed his head.

¡°Thank you.¡±

¡°Any time.¡±

Sora collected the books and left. There were more people now as the minutes ticked by. Suddenly, the clock struck one and it seem to trigger a chain reaction. The Mass Transit System doors opened and out flooded thousands of people from the business district looking for a decent meals. Quiet shops burst into life as salesmen offered their goods to passer-bys, occasionally catching an unwary victim to bombard with statistics and figures. Waiters bustled about in restaurants serving still-steaming dishes to office workers, business executives, and all sorts of money-hungry businessmen looking to take advantage of anything and everything. Sora found himself trapped in a sea of people, but he just stood there, motionless, shut off from everything around him. Calmly he took a step forward, then another, and another. No one collided with him. Everyone stayed out of his way for some reason, and soon Sora was in front of the arcade. A guy was standing at the counter, apparently waiting for someone.

¡°Sorry, the place is reserved.¡±

Without saying a word, Sora leaned against the wall next to the counter. Letting his legs buckle, he slid to the floor and took out one of the books he just bought. Paying no attention to the person behind the counter he began to read. The guy fidgeted irritably, but spoke only when Sora was halfway through the 500 page book.

¡°Listen kid, I¡¯ve got some important customers coming over, so do you mind scram¡­.¡±

He stopped immediately as he saw Ronald appear with the rest of his gang.

¡°S-sir! Everything¡¯s ready for you.¡±

Ronald smiled.

¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

Sora placed the book back into his bag and stood up. Ronald shook his head in disbelief.

¡°The usual bookworm¡­ anyway, let¡¯s have some fun today.¡±

The guy led the group into the arcade where chairs were evenly spaced out. Each of them had a headset and various wires were connected to it.

¡°Please take a seat and put on the headsets.¡±

Everyone chose a seat. Everyone but Sora. Ronald looked over at him.

¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

¡°I said I¡¯ll just watch.¡±

¡°Come on. There¡¯s no harm in trying. Besides, there¡¯s a free seat.¡±

Thinking for a moment, Sora put his bag down and took the last seat. Placing the headset on, the guy began inputting several commands into the system. A multi coloured laser show flashed by as an alien terrain materialised around them.

¡°Way cool!¡±

¡°Yeah!¡±

A screen appeared in front of them.

¡°Welcome to team fortress version 18.9. Please select form of match.¡±

Ronald looked around him.

¡°What do you guys think? Team fragfest?¡±

¡°Sounds good.¡±

¡°Great.¡±

¡°Bring it on!¡±

Ronald smiled.

¡°Team fragfest it is. Input data.¡±

¡°Data inputted. Stand by for map reconfiguration.¡±

The area flickered and they found themselves in a building overlooking a swamp-like thing. A bridge connected the building to the outside. To the north there was a nest like structure amid woods.

¡°Monster regeneration rate set at medium. Monster level set at random. Creating weapon interface.¡±

Around them crates appeared, holding machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank cannons and anything that had to do with weapons. Ronald picked up a mini-gun.

¡°Let¡¯s rock this joint!¡±

The others had already chosen their weapons and all agreed heartily, giving out a war cry as the countdown began.

¡°Match beginning in 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Match has begun.¡±

Almost immediately monsters began pouring in from the bridge. Ronald turned to the rest of the group.

¡°Alright. Search and destroy! Sora, you stay here and guard these crates. We don¡¯t want to loose them now, do we?¡±

Sora nodded and the others went down the building to engaged the monsters. Or rather, slaughter them.

¡°This is too easy!¡±

¡°The thing¡¯s set at random. They should get a bit tougher.¡±

¡°That¡¯s good. Take that!¡±

The small minions were defeated with ease. Next came a wave of bigger monsters, but still they were no match for the group.

¡°Boring¡­¡±

A shadow suddenly leapt into the air and slashed one of them in two. Instantly he turned into static and his cursing could be still heard as he disappeared. Ronald turned to face the creature that barred his teeth at the gang, brandishing its scythe.

¡°Oh yeah¡­¡±

The barrels rattled as the gang fired their weapons at the new creature, but it was too quick. Eluding the bullets, the monster managed to take out two more of the team before finally being silenced by a grenade thrown by Ronald. Soon, more of these monsters appeared and the team had a tough time fighting back, and were forced to retreat. Ronald and only another guy was left when they got back to the building. Ronald¡¯s mini-gun suddenly ran out of shells.

¡°Dang. I¡¯m going to go get some more ammo.¡±

¡°Hurry up or¡­¡±

A scythe came slashing by and the guy was sliced in two at the waist. Turning, Ronald was overwhelmed by monsters and he too slowly changed into static. His world was suddenly throw into darkness. After a moment or two the headset over his face lifted and Ronald shook himself. The rest were standing around him, grinning from ear to ear.

¡°Great game huh?¡±

¡°Did you see how I killed that monster? Too cool!¡±

¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡±

Ronald smiled.

¡°Is Sora still in the game?¡±

The gang exchanged glances and nodded.

¡°Let¡¯s wait for him then. Shouldn¡¯t take that long.¡±

¡°Mr. Asana?¡±

Ronald looked past his friends. It was the guy at the counter, his expression was hard to read as he pointed at the large display screen.

¡°You should have a look at this. It¡¯s about the friend of yours in the game.¡±

Following his finger, Ronald noted that the monsters were moving through the narrow hallway which lead to the room with all the weapons. The light on the sealed doors suddenly turned green and it slid open. At first it seemed as though no one was there, but Sora suddenly stepped out from the side of the door with a pair of what looked like gatling guns. Squeezing the triggers the barrels rotated at breakneck speed as shells rained on the monsters. Blood splattered everywhere on the walls as the creatures had nowhere to run and were killed. Wailing in agony, the monsters were forced out of the building and onto the bridge as Sora continued his assault, his face expressionless. In the open space, the monsters began to retaliate, but Sora was too fast for them. Ronald¡¯s jaw dropped like the others.

¡°His reaction time is crazy!¡±

¡°Talk about accuracy, I bet he can hit a pea from a mile off without even looking more than a second.¡±

One of the monsters that held a scythe managed to slip pass Sora¡¯s line of fire and get behind him. Just as it was about to slice through him, Sora turned around and, using his gatling gun, hit the scythe, sending it spinning wildly into the air. Using the other gatling gun, he rammed it straight into the monster¡¯s centre, but instead of firing it, Sora threw the whole weapon into the advancing army. A round of shots rained down on the abandoned weapon, causing the remaining of the ammo to ignite and explode. A ball of flame engulfed part of the enemies and sent the remaining into a wild frenzy to retreat. Dropping the other gatling gun, which caused the stone below it to crack and shudder under its weight, Sora raised his hand. One of the guys looked at Ronald.

¡°What is he doing?¡±

That question was soon answered as the airborne scythe came down. Catching it, Sora spun the bloodstained weapon and tucked it in between his arm and body, running forward to engage the monsters in melee combat. Bloody parts began flying everywhere as Sora dodged and attacked, evaded and countered. With such precession and skill he executed every move. Every step he took was calculated and every swipe of the scythe showed no hint of hesitation. Ronald could only gawk slack-jawed. It seemed to him that Sora was born to fight: he wasn¡¯t far off either.

Soon only a few stranglers were left. Crippled and hacked bodies laid everywhere, staining both the orange soil and white stone bridge with dark red blood, which continued to ooze from open wounds and broken limbs. Sora was standing in the middle of the bridge, the scythe loosely grasped at his side. He let the weapon drop to the floor, clanging noisily as it did, and looked at his hand. It was covered in blood and it continued to run down the whole of his arm as he turned it. Sora looked up at the alien sky above him and took in a deep breath.

¡°I can see the blood¡­ yet I can¡¯t smell it. Not even a scent of death. Hmm¡­ I guess¡­ it isn¡¯t real.¡±

The environment twitched. Slowly bits and pieces of the terrain turned into static and disappeared. Sora looked around him as the place collapsed, leaving only black, empty space behind. Back outside, the guy that was behind the counter was furiously typing at a computer. Ronald and the others were around him.

¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

¡°I can¡¯t get him out! He¡¯s locked into the matrix!¡±

¡°Is that even possible?¡±

Back in the black abyss, Sora looked about him. The ground suddenly started to crack nearby. The hair-like line crawled across the floor like an erratic snake, branching out here and there into more ¡°off-springs¡±. As Sora turned to face the source of the cracks, everything came to a standstill for a second, after which all hell broke loose. The ground finally gave was and an beast burst through, sending shattered black shards and dust in all directions. Sora covered his face with his right sleeve as the cloud reached him.

Somewhere else in the city, underground, personnel were at their computers analysing the situation.

¡°Sectors 69 to 84 have been erased.¡±

¡°Inter-connector loops established. Rerouting all pathways to point F in Sector 65.¡±

A man is sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. Light reflecting from both his bald head and glasses that hide his eyes from view. A young woman stands next to him with her hands behind her back. She wore a black tail coat, a collared white shirt and a pair of long pants, ending with some moderate heels. Parts of her dark red hair was being held up by two long hairpins, while the rest fell about her on either sides. She scanned through the details of the report on the main screen. She opened her mouth to speak.

¡°Fall sectors 68 and 85. Set up garrisons from point A2 to G4.¡±

¡°Setting up garrisons. Sectors 68 and 85 fallen.¡±

¡°Are there any civilians?¡±

¡°Scans show nothing.¡±

The woman turned to look at the man.

¡°It seems to be a good time to test out the viral mine.¡±

The man, who was obviously the commander, said nothing. Just then one of the computers beeped.

¡°Energy scans show two readings.¡±

The woman looked up.

¡°Possibility of another virus?¡±

¡°Bringing up visual.¡±

The main screen flickered and turned into the live video feed. The so called virus looked almost like a hunchback human, but only had a beak and two black pits for eyes on its face. It blinked almost candidly and looked at something near it. There, shaking himself of the dust, Sora brought down his sleeve and looked up, returning the stare. The woman immediately responded.

¡°Deploy the cyber angels. That virus must be stopped.¡±

¡°Looks like the viral mine has to wait, Chikage.¡±

The woman looked back down at the man.

¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±

Back outside, the virus and Sora were still having their little staring competition. For some strange reason Sora understood what it was trying to say. The virus tilted its head sideways. Or rather, spun it to one side. Sora finally broke the gaze.

¡°I have no liking for war.¡±

The virus turned away from Sora. Several white dots could be seen from a distance, not that it can really be called distance since it was just a blank dimension of a world. The white dots got bigger and they turned out to be missiles. Consecutively they hit the virus, and it arched backwards from the impact. An airship flew towards the virus, dropping off several people as it passed by. Some of them landed almost gracefully, whereas some of the others, particularly the one that resembled a blue werewolf with a horn on its forehead, created craters as they landed. There were 7 of them, 2 girls, 2 guys, and 3 system navigators. The apparent leader of the group looked over at Sora, his short silvery hair making his red eyes stand out even more as he examined the situation. He turned he head slightly towards one of the system navigators.

¡°Chi, generate temporary terrain to engage enemy in.¡±

¡°Generating.¡±

A visor clicked over the young girl¡¯s reddish brown eyes. Her long beige hair almost sweeps the floor, partly concealing two metallic cases that bulged out from her ears. A blue aura surrounded her and throwing her hands out, the aura expanded, filling the entire area. Static engulfed the place and a rocky terrain materialised for as far as the eye could see. The virus regained it¡¯s stumped posture and looked at the group. The captain spoke again.

¡°Rio, Banks. Get the civilian to a safe location. The rest of us will engage the virus. Our orders are to bring it back in one piece if possible.¡±

¡°Sir!¡±

With that they leapt into action. A girl, accompanied by the werewolf look-alike who was holding a lance, broke off from the other web angels as they took on the virus and headed for Sora. The girl examined Sora worriedly with her crystal green eyes.

¡°Are you okay?¡±

Sora¡¯s head was still bowed. He raised his hands and looked at them.

¡°How many more times must these hands take blood?¡±

¡°What?¡±

It was then that the virus noticed the trio. Knocking aside the rest of the web angels, it raised its left hand. A rod of energy gathered on it¡¯s arm, and it suddenly shot forward towards the girl standing in front of Sora. The werewolf look-alike leapt in front of her.

¡°Rio! Look out!¡±

The girl spun round in horror, her shoulder length red hair flying around her. Time seemed to slow down as the rod of pure energy hit her friend and companion, sending him hurting across the rocky terrain and into a solid wall of rock.

¡°Banks!¡±

Running down the devastated path, Rio collapsed onto her knees and shook Banks lightly.

¡°Banks! Speak to me!¡±

Sora watched as tears fell from her face. A brief moment of his past flashed by him¡­

_-Flashback-_

_It was pouring. Bent over, with the rain beating relentlessly on his back, a boy gently touched the face of a girl. Tears welled up in his grey eyes as the girl¡¯s eyes remained closed, oblivious of everything around her._

_¡°Freeze!¡±___

_Turning, water droplets flew from his blue hair as white light flooded the area. Covering his eyes with his hand, he squinted to see who it was. Several dark figures stood with guns pointed at him. It was the police._

_¡°Put your hands up now!¡±_

_The boy gritted his teeth. Clenching his free hand, he could feel the anger coursing through him like wildfire._

_¡°I said¡­¡±_

_The boy screamed and charged forward. His hand found its way through one of the policeman¡¯s stomachs. Blood spluttered out as the boy twisted his hand, instantly killing the man._

_¡°Holy shit!¡±___

_The remainder of the police force opened fire, but the boy used the limp body as a shield. Throwing aside the remainder of the deformed body, he ran forward and ripped the head off one of the remaining police force and crushed the skull in his hand, pus flowing out of the squashed brain. Pretty much all of the others suffered an equally gruesome fate, some having their limbs broken and some never would have had a whole family even if they survived. Blood dripped from the boy¡¯s hands as the mangled bodies laid around him. Breathing hard, his eyes were hidden from view by his hair, but a steady flow of tears could be seen running down his cheek. Lighting streaked across the sky, illuminating the dead girl amid the sea of rainwater and blood behind the boy. Her lightly coloured clothes were stained red as it slowly crept up the fabric. The boy looked up, his eyes as red as blood, the blood he took from the girl. His screamed echoed in the night. Not even the heavy patter of rain drops could conceal the pain it showed._

_-End Flashback-_

Sora looked back at the virus which had retracted the rod. It was preparing to attack again, this time the target was him. Yet, Sora made no attempt to move. He stood his ground, his face showing not even the slightest hint of fear. The rest of the cyber angels turned and watched stunned as the rod shot forward again, cutting straight through the air. Just as it was about to hit Sora, the rod suddenly arced. In slow motion, the rod crawled round him. A split-second later, the rod shot straight into a column of stone behind Sora. The back draft had caught his hair and it fluttered violently together with his clothes. His face was still expressionless as the stone column behind him crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Raising his left hand slightly, a metal staff materialized.

¡°Even if I have no liking for war¡­¡±

A blade of pure energy burst forth, forming a scythe.

¡°¡­ I cannot forgive you for trying to take my blood.¡±

The virus retracted the rod. Raising its other hand, it shot two projectiles at Sora, but at the last moment he dodged the attack and ran forward. Slicing off its right arm, purple blood began oozing out from the virus¡¯ wound. Spinning round, Sora slashed at it again, but it jumped backwards to avoid the fatal blow. Leaping forward, Sora met with a force field. Expanding it, the virus threw Sora backwards, but he landed on the floor with both feet skidding across the ground, unfazed. The captain turned to a blonde with a pair of bright blue eyes.

¡°What is the resistance of that shield?¡±

The girl¡¯s fox-like ears twitched.

¡°It will take approximately 8400 strikes before the shield will crack.¡±

Sora stood up straight.

¡°It¡¯ll only take one if you hit where it counts.¡±

The captain turned to look at him.

¡°I understand what you are trying to say, but the weakest point of the shield is the top. The virus can expand its shield faster than we can reach the weak point.¡±

Without another word Sora leapt into the air. As expected the virus expanded the shield, but Sora was moving at such a fast speed, it can barely keep up with him.

¡°How fast is he moving Mei?¡±

The girl¡¯s ears twitched again.

¡°He is nearly at the speed of sound.¡±

Just as she got the words out, the sonic boom came, distracting the virus for a split-second. It was enough as the other end of Sora¡¯s scythe emitted a small blade of energy and he plunged it into the shield. The shield flashed and started to crack. Plunging his weapon deeper, the shield finally shattered and Sora landed on the ground. Just as the virus raised his only useable arm, Sora spun round and swung his scythe. A light temporarily blinded everyone as the virus released its energy rod. It had only cut through Sora¡¯s left cheek, whereas the boy hit home, right in the core. The red orb cracked and the virus¡¯ rod dissipated. The arm falling limply to its side, Sora let go of the scythe and the virus fell to the ground. Standing straight, Sora looked at the lifeless body. Silence fell.

¡°Your help is much appreciated.¡±

The captain was walking over to where Sora was, but the latter didn¡¯t turn to face him.

¡°My name is Jen Saints. I am the captain of the cyber angels.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t care who you are.¡±

Jen smiled.

¡°I apologize for dragging you into this. We were originally sent to save you, but it ended up as the other way around.¡±

Jen turned to a girl who was helping Rio get Banks to sit up. Her eyes sparkled yellow with a slight hint of orange, contrasting her short to medium length chocolate brown hair. Next to her was a guy, brown was tied into a long braid down his back, crystal blue eyes examining Banks.

¡°Rika. Have a look at the boy¡¯s face once you¡¯re done with Duo over there.¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

Sora touched his cheek and looked at his hand. He noticed he was bleeding, and looked back down at the virus. All of a sudden it started to glow. Slowly it shrunk, and as the light faded, lying on the ground with the impaled scythe was what appeared to be a human. Her eyelids were closed, and her long dark blue hair fell about her on the ground.

¡°A girl?¡±

Something about her innocent and heavenly form made Chi and Mei turn and look at her with eyes widened. Even Banks coughed and stood up to get a better look at her.

¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±

Jen looked at them.

¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

¡°She¡¯s a system oracle¡­¡±

Like it? Hate it? I¡¯m open to suggestions

If you didn¡¯t understand, that¡¯s good. If you did, then you¡¯re better than the author already. I write my stories based on my current situation, which can be affected by the following things:

1) Anime I am currently watching

2) Music I¡¯m listening to

3) Whether my brother is around

4) Whether I¡¯m in school or at home

5) Any shows I¡¯ve seen recently

6) Random stuff I find on the net through the almighty Google

7) Depression

8) Status of stomach

9) How demented I feel

10) Stuff that happens around me


	3. Chapter 2

**=Chapter 2=**

_-Flashback-_

_The room was dark, but the outlines of various machines could be seen, some beeping softly, others flashing on and off. A boy was strapped to a metallic bed in the middle of the room. He laid completely still as a machine overhead lowered onto him._

_¡°Subject has shown an influx of mentality after reviewing current condition. It will undergo reprogramming under the normal procedures.¡±_

_A metal claw grabbed the corners of the boy¡¯s eyelids. Pushing the flesh back, his eyeball was left exposed as a needle shot forward, straight into his pupil. The boy¡¯s clenched fists slowly loosened._

_¡°Reprogramming completed.¡±_

_The machine lifted and the metallic bed tilted to an angle, causing the boy¡¯s head to droop forward._

_¡°What is your objective?¡±_

_The boy slowly lifted his head._

_¡°To obey all orders given to me.¡±___

_¡°What is your purpose?¡±_

_¡°To obey all orders given to me.¡±___

_¡°What do you want?¡±_

_¡°To obey all orders given to me¡­?¡±_

_-End Flashback-_

Sora opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He sat up in bed and turned towards his desk. There, at the corner, was the black cube his mother had given him when he came back. She told him that it would save the battery power on his Navi. Getting up and putting on his glasses, Sora walked towards the desk and picked it up. Taking out his Navi, Sora turned it over and opened a small compartment. Locating the correct port, Sora inserted the black cube and turned on his Navi. Inputting his name and password, The main screen appeared on the Navi.

_New chat room started._

Sora blinked and pressed the enter key. A blank screen appeared and letters started forming.

_You can remember, can¡¯t you?_

Sora tilted his head sideways and typed in a message.

_It depends on what you want me to remember._

No reply. Sora turned his Navi off.

The next morning, Sora was back in class staring off at the sky as usual. Ronald walked up to him.

¡°Hey Sora, you alright?¡±

Sora didn¡¯t reply and Ronald sighed.

¡°When you came out of the matrix, you looked kind of whacked¡­¡±

Ronald immediately regretted what he said as Sora turned to look at him. The truth was that Sora always looked a bit out of the ordinary. His expression hardly changed no matter the situation. He didn¡¯t whoop for joy or even smile when the school announced that he was the top student in Labyrinth 2: maybe it was because he was the top student of the city every year. Still, his face was always blank, so no one really understood what he felt.

No one would have wanted to anyway.

Just then the teacher came in and everyone took their seats. It seemed like it would be another boring lecture, but just as the entire class was going to fall asleep, the door slid open and a red-haired girl stepped in. It was Rio. The teacher turned round as she walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. Murmurings could be heard throughout the room as finally the teacher straightened.

¡°Sora. The new headmistress wants to see you.¡±

All heads turned to the back of the class where Sora was sitting. Placing his pen down, Sora stood up and walked towards the front of the classroom. The teacher nodded at Rio.

¡°Rio will bring you there.¡±

Sora nodded and turned to Rio. Following her out of the class and through the school, they finally stopped at a door. Knocking gently, Rio called.

¡°Miss. Chikage?¡±

¡°Come in.¡±

The door slid open and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the room behind a desk. The woman put down the pen she was holding and looked up at Sora who had come in front of her.

¡°Thank you Rio. You may go.¡±

Rio nodded and closed the door behind her.

¡°Do you recognize me?¡±

No reply. Sora remained silent. The woman smiled and took off her reading glasses.

¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame you. I was just transferred here as the school¡¯s new headmistress.¡±

Still no reply, but Sora met the headmistress¡¯ gaze with his blank expression.

¡°I heard that you are the top student in Labyrinth 2. Is that correct?¡±

Sora nodded, never looking away from her violet eyes.

¡°My name is Chikage Coronation. I was hoping to meet the top student in the city and get some pointers from you.¡±

Sora blinked.

¡°Is that all? Or am I needed for something else?¡±

Chikage closed her eyes and chuckled.

¡°Actually, that isn¡¯t really why I summoned you here.¡±

She took out a picture from under her jacket.

¡°Have you seen this girl?¡±

It was a photo of the system oracle, taken with the scythe impaled in her. She seemed to be chained by the wrists in an upright position. Her long fluid hair was tied at the back of her head with a black band, while locks of shorter hair fell in front of her face. Her eyes were not visible as her head drooped forward, which meant that she was unconscious.

¡°Should I?¡±

¡°Please do not answer my question with another.¡±

Sora shook his head and Chikage kept the picture.

¡°I see.¡±

Silence fell in the room, broken only by the grandfather clock which struck ten. Chikage got up from her seat and walked towards the full length windows behind the desk.

¡°I won¡¯t hold you back from your break.¡±

Chikage placed her hands behind her.

¡°You may leave.¡±

She heard the door slide open, but it didn¡¯t close for quite some time.

¡°I hope Banks is doing fine.¡±

She was caught of guard. Chikage immediately spun round with widened eyes

¡°How¡­?¡±

The door slid shut with Sora¡¯s back against it, leaving Chikage standing there with her mouth slightly open. After a while she closed her eyes and smiled softly.

¡°What kind of boy is he?¡±

Outside, Sora was walking down the hallway when he met Ronald with most of the other male students in class.

¡°So what did the new headmistress want with you? Heard that she¡¯s a real cute chick.¡±

Sora walked past Ronald.

¡°She wanted to see whether I was for real.¡±

Ronald cocked an eyebrow.

¡°Huh?¡±

Sora disappeared round the corner and the group exchanged looks of confusion. Ronald scratched his head.

¡°I¡¯m starting to think that he¡¯s got a serious social problem.¡±

¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it that¡­¡±

Ronald spun round to come face to face with Chikage.

¡°Headmistress!¡±

All the boys bowed their heads and acknowledged her. Chikage smiled.

¡°Shouldn¡¯t you boys be outside?¡±

Ronald raised his head slightly.

¡°Well, we were wondering why Sora had to see you, headmistress.¡±

¡°I just wanted to see for myself what the top student in the city was like. All I can say is that he really is an interesting boy.¡±

Chikage turned and headed down the hallway the other way. Lifting up her hand she waved at the boys.

¡°See you.¡±

Ronald and the others stood up straight.

¡°Hot babe, isn¡¯t she?¡±

¡°Yeah¡­¡±

That night, it began to pour. As Sora sat in front of the window, the rain patted softly against the glass pane. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the cold hard window.

_-Flashback-_

_A blue-haired boy is sitting at the seaside. Hugging his legs close to him, the waves constantly splash at his legs, soaking his long black pants with seawater. His grey eyes stare off blankly into the sun setting over the horizon, turning the sea into different shades of orange, red and yellow. A sea breeze found its way through his hair and the long coat of another boy standing a little behind him, causing it to billow almost lazily, washed with the orange hue of the blazing red sun. He had the exact same hair style as the seated boy, but his eyes were blood red and his hair jet black._

_¡°Are you sad?¡±_

_The seated boy hid his face between his knees._

_¡°I killed our sister.¡±_

_¡°She is your sister, not mine.¡±_

_Silence fell, broken only by a passing seagull and the waves._

_¡°Taking a life, I gave birth to another.¡±_

_The standing boy placed his hand on his shoulder._

_¡°The pain and sadness that is inside of you, I feel it to. You are me, and I am you. You and I are the representations of heaven and hell, of sanity and insanity.¡±_

_¡°I¡­ understand.¡±_

_-End Flashback-_

Sora opened his eyes and sat up straight. Aeries was looking at him from the kitchen doorway. She sighed and went back to washing the dishes.

¡°When will you stop fighting with yourself?¡±

Just then the doorbell rang. Aeries looked up.

¡°Who could that be in this kind of weather? Sora! Will you please get the door?¡±

Back in the living room, Sora stood up and walked towards the door. Opening it, he was greeted by a hooded figure drenched in rainwater. The two of them just stood there, with the rain still beating on the hooded figure¡¯s back and spraying onto the wooden flooring inside the house. A peal of thunder flashed through the sky, illuminating the hooded figure¡¯s face, revealing a pair of grey eyes.

¡°Can I come in?¡±

Sora stepped backed a little behind the door, giving way to the hooded figure. The figure stepped in and took off the hood, just as Aeries appeared from the kitchen. Her long blue hair fell from the hood down her back, reaching just below her hips. Aeries took one look at her and smiled gently.

¡°Are you a friend of Sora¡¯s?¡±

The girl opened her mouth slightly, then she blinked and bowed her head, sealing her lips.

¡°I promised her I would let her stay over.¡±

She turned her head and looked at Sora, who had closed the door. Aeries understood.

¡°Oh¡­¡±

¡°I¡¯m sorry I forgot to tell you.¡±

¡°It¡¯s fine, but you¡¯ll have to sleep in the living room.¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

¡°Won¡¯t want to let anything happen to our guest would we?¡±

¡°Mom¡­¡±

Aeries smiled cheekily. She then noticed a trail of blood running down the girl¡¯s right leg.

¡°You¡¯re bleeding¡­¡±

The girl took a hesitant step back as Aeries moved forward and touched the open wound. She winced slightly.

¡°I think you should go take a bath. It¡¯ll help clean the wound a bit and wash away those bad memories. Come on.¡±

Aeries took the girl¡¯s hand and led her towards the stairs. Halfway up Aeries turned her head.

¡°Sora, go get the bandages and some antiseptic from the cupboard.¡±

Sora turned and went to the kitchen as the girl watched him.

¡°Forgive him, he¡¯s a bit quiet at times.¡±

The girl looked up at Aeries, who smiled. Guiding her down the hallway they came to a door, which opened to a bedroom. There was another door opposite the bed and Aeries opened it, revealing a bathroom.

¡°The hot water is on the right and the cold is on the left. Get yourself out of those dirty clothes and take a nice, long bath. I¡¯ll help you dress that wound once you¡¯re done.¡±

Hesitantly the girl stepped into the bathroom and the door closed behind her. Taking her clothes off, she turned on the shower head and let the water run down her body. She winced slightly as the warm water washed over the gash on her stomach. She gently touched it with her hand.

¡°What happened to me? How did I lose control like that?¡±

The girl stood there as the water, stained with blood, seeped down the drain. Turning the shower off, she stepped out into the bathroom. Seeing that her clothes were nowhere to be found, she took a towel and went back to the bedroom where Aeries was waiting with a small first aid kit.

¡°Feeling better? Now to do something with that wound.¡±

Aeries motioned the girl to sit down, which she did. Applying a lotion, the girl winced slightly. Pain was something she had never gotten used to outside the matrix.

¡°Your name is Fio right?¡±

The girl nodded her head, not sure of what to say. Her wound still stung as Aeries wrapped a bandage round her abdomen. Snipping off the last part of the bandage, Aeries stood up and went over to a chest of drawers and opened the bottom one.

¡°I forgot to tell you, my name is Aeries. Sora should be up anytime now, so here¡­¡±

Aeries stood up and walked over to the girl with some clothes.

¡°Wear these. I think they¡¯ll fit you just fine.¡±

The girl accepted the undergarments and short dress yellow dress. Slipping them on, a knock came from the door. Aeries opened it and Sora was standing there with a tray. Aeries turned to the girl sitting at the bed.

¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you alone. If you need anything, feel free to ask.¡±

With that Aeries patted Sora on the shoulder and left. The door clicked softly as Sora walked over to the desk and placed the tray down. Lifting the thermal pot he began pouring hot chocolate into two mugs.

¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

Sora had finished pouring the steaming liquid into one mug. He paused.

¡°I wasn¡¯t myself then, that¡¯s why I attacked you.¡±

¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

Sora resumed pouring hot chocolate into the second mug. He placed the pot down and held out a mug in front of the girl. Fio looked up at Sora¡¯s blank expression, blurred by the constant rising of the steam from the mug. The rain continued to beat down on the window pane as she raised both her hands and accepted the mug. Sora sat down next to the desk and drank from the other one. The girl looked down at the mug in her hands. The dark brown liquid swirled inside. Fio looked up again. Sora had his hands crossed loosely on his lap with the mug still at hand and his eyes were set on the window where steady flows of rainwater were flowing down the transparent panes. The girl looked back down at the mug. Hesitantly she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. The warm liquid flowed through her mouth and down her throat, leaving behind a tingling sweet sensation. She opened her eyes and looked back at Sora. He was still sitting there staring at the window. She felt compelled to ask.

¡°Why do you have female clothes in your room?¡±

¡°They belonged to my sister.¡±

¡°Where is she now?¡±

¡°Dead.¡±

A tinge of guilt surfaced within the girl.

¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

No reply. Sora¡¯s expression hardly changed as he continued to stare at the window. A peal of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room with a haunting blue hue. There was silence again after that, which gave Fio time to observe Sora. ¡°Forgive him, he can be a bit quiet at times.¡± those words echoed in her mind. It was true what Aeries had said, but she never imagined that it could be so haunting a silence. It was then that she remembered.

¡°How did you know my name?¡±

Sora pulled out a metal bangle from his pocket and held it out in front of Fio. On it the initials ¡°F¡°, ¡°I¡± and ¡°O¡± were carved. Instinctively She looked at her right wrist, and found that the bangle was really hers.

¡°You dropped this on your way up.¡±

Putting her cup down, Fio took the bangle and slipped it on. It dangled loosely on her wrist.

¡°Thank you.¡± 

Standing up, Sora headed towards the door and opened it.

¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest of the hot chocolate here. It¡¯s late. Get some rest.¡±

With that he left the room, leaving Fio sitting there looking after him. Standing, she walked to the window and placed her hands on it. She watched as beads of rainwater rolled down the pane and merged to form small streams on the window. A single word escaped from her lips sub-consciously.

¡°Sora¡­¡±

The next morning, Fio awoke to the smell of breakfast. Aeries was standing next to the bed with a tray of sausages, scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins, buttered toast and a glass of milk. Fio sat up in bed.

¡°Mrs. Truehearted?¡±

Aeries smiled cheerily.

¡°Please, just call me Aeries.¡±

She place the tray of food on Fio¡¯s lap.

¡°Eat up before it gets cold.¡±

Fio looked at the food, then back up at Aeries.

¡°Thank you.¡±

¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Sora made it for you.¡±

Fio looked back up and tilted her head sideways quizzically. Aeries nodded, smiling ear to ear.

¡°I think he really likes you.¡±

¡°Like?¡±

Aeries bent down so that her face was level with Fio¡¯s.

¡°How long have the two of you known each other?¡±

Fio couldn¡¯t find her voice to answer Aeries, but she didn¡¯t need to.

¡°I met her three days ago while I was out with Ronald and his gang.¡±

Aeries turned to find Sora standing at the doorway.

¡°Really? Is this love at first sight?¡±

¡°Mom¡­¡±

Aeries laughed and hugged Sora.

¡°I¡¯m just so glad you¡¯re opening yourself up.¡±

Sora¡¯s expression softened.

¡°I¡¯m sorry I worried you so much.¡±

Aeries released her arms around him and smiled.

¡°It¡¯s alright. My friends and I are going shopping, so I¡¯ll only be back at around eight.¡±

Sora nodded and she left. Fio watched as he walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. Instinctively she moved a bit away from him.

¡°I won¡¯t bite you.¡±

¡°What?¡±

Silence fell. Sora spoke after a while.

¡°They probably found you by now.¡±

Fio relaxed a bit. Looking at the food laid out in front of her, she picked up a fork and a knife and began to eat.

¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡±

Sora turned round to face Fio as she popped part of a sausage into her mouth. She had never really eaten much human food, but she knew enough to tell the food was good.

¡°Did you really cook this?¡±

¡°Why? Does it taste bad?¡±

Fio shook her head and continued eating. She found it strange that someone like Sora could exist in this world. Maybe he was a program like her? She thought. Finishing off the rest of her breakfast, she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Sora took the tray and went downstairs, leaving Fio to wash up. As she cleaned her face with a towel, she noticed that there was a metal bangle similar to hers resting on the sink. Picking it up, the light reflected several engravings on it.

¡°Fiona Peacekeeper?¡±

Fio stood there, hands clutching the metal bangle. A thought came to mind. Heading out of the room and down the stairs, Fio found Sora in the kitchen washing the dishes.

¡°Was Fiona your sister¡¯s name?¡±

Sora paused, the running tap pouring onto a plate in his hand. He nodded and resumed scrubbing the plate with a sponge. Fio watched as Sora finished the rest of the dishes.

¡°I try not to live in the past.¡±

Turning, Sora walked up to Fio and stopped in front of her. He looked down at the bangle in her hands, then continued walking towards the living room.

¡°You can keep it if you want.¡±

Just then the doorbell rang. Fio turned towards the front door where Sora was heading. Somehow he seemed to know what was going to happen next. Opening it, he was greeted by Chikage and some men dressed in black.

¡°You were expecting us.¡±

It was more of a statement than a question. Sora merely nodded.

¡°Can we come in?¡±

Sora stepped aside.

¡°The Truehearted¡¯s house is open to all strangers.¡±

¡°I see.¡±

Chikage entered the house and looked at Fio.

¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised to find the system oracle here then.¡±

Fio bowed his head.

¡°My name is Fio.¡±

Chikage was surprised, but only smiled and said nothing. Sora walked past the both of them and went to the kitchen.

¡°Show them to the living room.¡±

Fio turned her head and looked at Sora¡¯s back. She understood and raised her hand towards the archway that lead to the living room.

¡°This way.¡±

Chikage nodded. Her bodyguards were still standing outside, unsure of what to do, but upon seeing Chikage going to the living room, they followed suit. However, they refused to take off their shoes as Chikage had.

Sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, Chikage examined Fio, who had both her hands placed on her lap. Chikage looked up as Sora entered with a tray. Placing it down, he poured out a cup of tea and placed it in front of Chikage. He looked up at the bodyguards.

¡°Don¡¯t worry about them.¡±

Sora placed the teapot down, but remained standing. Chikage picked up the cup and one of the guards stepped forward.

¡°Miss. Chikage.¡±

Chikage closed her eyes and breathed in the aroma of the tea.

¡°I trust that Master Truehearted will not put anything in this cup other than tea. In fact, I trust him more than I trust some of you.¡±

The guard bowed his head and took a step back. Chikage took a sip from the cup.

¡°Earl grey, with a touch of lemon and fresh milk.¡±

Chikage placed the cup down and hung her leg over the other, placing her hands on her lap like Fio, though more elegantly and relaxed.

¡°We¡¯ve been trying to find you, Miss. Fio.¡±

Fio nodded.

¡°I¡¯m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.¡±

Chikage brushed aside a stray hair from her face.

¡°Are you willing to come back then? To help us.¡±

¡°Yes.¡±

¡°Very well then.¡±

Chikage looked up at Sora.

¡°You¡¯ll have to come with us also. You know too much to do any good.¡±

Sora didn¡¯t look back at Chikage, but chose to stare blankly out of the window.

¡°If I refuse?¡±

The young commander smiled and took another sip from the cup.

¡°We¡¯ll be forced to kill you.¡±

Fio also looked up at Sora, but as always his expression was blank.

¡°It¡¯s not a valid threat.¡±

¡°Why so?¡±

¡°You cannot risk spilling blood on this floor, in this room, in this house, at this street on a Sunday morning, simply because someone would hear and would have seen your bodyguards walk up the driveway. They can just link these two incidents together and point their fingers towards your organization. This is also the reason why you ordered your men to unload their guns before coming here.¡±

Chikage¡¯s expression was a mixture of surprise and something along the lines of satisfaction.

¡°Hmm? why would you say that?¡±

¡°Judging by how their coats move as they walk and their movements as they came in, it¡¯s a lot like mice crawling through an open field: defenceless. However, from what you just said and how the man standing next to the vase is constantly feeling his coat, he has refuted that order and loaded his tactical pistol with twelve 10mm shells.¡±

All eyes turned to the guard who was at the doorway, near a vase standing on a small table, behind Sora. He was slightly taken aback. Chikage lifted her hand.

¡°Please hand me your gun.¡±

Hesitantly he walked forward and took out a handgun. It¡¯s metallic blue surface shone under the light as Chikage took out the cartridge. In it was twelve shells, each marked with a ¡°10¡± at the back. All the guards gaped, slack-jawed. Only Fio and Chikage remained composed, both of them looking up at the boy who was still staring out of the window. Silence settled for a while, before Chikage stood up.

¡°Shall we go then.¡±

Fio nodded and stood up too. Walking past Sora, he turned and followed the two girls out. Outside, several sleek black cars were waiting for them. Upon getting on, they drove off towards the main city area. Sora sat in front next to one of the bodyguards who was driving the car. Chikage was at the back with Fio. They were silent as the cars purred through the busy streets, negotiating the traffic. At last a tall glass building came into view. The sun reflected on it¡¯s smooth surface, making it almost blinding to just glance at it. Just as they pulled into the car park, Chikage shifted her head slightly to look at Fio.

¡°What do you think of Sora?¡±

Fio raised her eyes slightly to look at him, then look back down again. She gave no reply.

¡°I see.¡±

They got off the car once it stopped. The other cars had went their separate ways. Entering the glass building, they came to what looked like the main reception area. A circular elevator stood in the middle of the large room behind a reception desk. The place was filled with various flowering shrubs which parted at regular intervals to make pathways. Several bridges suspended over a body of crystal blue liquid lead to different places on all sides. Chikage lead them to the reception desk. The woman seated there stood up and greeted them, her orange hair bouncing as she did so.

¡°Good morning, Miss. Chikage.¡±

Chikage nodded.

¡°Is Herald present, Ci?¡±

The woman brushed aside a stray hair from her purple eyes.

¡°No, Miss. Chikage.¡±

Chikage nodded and walked over to the elevator, motioning Sora and Fio to follow. Ci pressed a button under the desk and the elevator doors slid open, allowing them to enter. Though there seemed to be a tube that lead up the glass building, all the buttons on the panel in the elevator lead downwards. Inserting a small key, all the buttons lit up and Chikage pressed the button marked ¡°B8¡±, apparently the lowest floor in the building. The doors closed and the elevator shot downwards. In a flash they came to the floor and upon stepping out, was greeted by a large hanger. Various suits stood in neat rows and Fio immediately recognised them.

¡°Web navigation shells.¡±

Chikage nodded.

¡°Yes. The internet now is not as safe as when it first started out back in the 20th century¡­¡±

Chikage began walking down the hanger towards the other end. Mechanics working on the suits immediately dropped what they were doing and saluted their commander as she passed, closely followed by Fio and Sora.

¡°¡­that¡¯s why we, the Global Internet Security Bureau, is trying so hard to keep it under control.¡±

Nearing the other end, the outline of a door appeared. Duo was standing next to it, looking up at one of the suits and supervising the repairs. He turned as he spotted Chikage.

¡°Nice to see you¡¯re in good shape.¡±

¡°Likewise.¡±

Chikage stepped aside, allowing Duo to get a full view of Fio and Sora.

¡°Let me introduce to the two of you. This is Duo Maxwell, head mechanic and pilot of WNS guardis.¡±

Duo waved a hello.

¡°I may be high, but I tell no lies. That¡¯s me in a nutshell.¡±

He turned back to Chikage.

¡°Jen has been going on and on the whole morning that you shouldn¡¯t have gone on your own.¡±

Chikage smiled.

¡°I had guards with me.¡±

Duo laughed.

¡°Those guys can¡¯t even hit a target right in their faces.¡±

¡°Duo!¡±

He turned towards the direction of the shout.

¡°Got to go. See ya later.¡±

He ran off and Chikage slashed a card at the device next to the door. It beeped once and the metal doors slid open to a travellator. As it carried them down the hallway, all was silent. Fio hesitated at first, but asked in the end.

¡°Didn¡¯t you erase Sora¡¯s memory?¡±

No response. It was only after a long silence that Chikage replied.

¡°What do you think?¡±

Fio looked hesitantly over at Sora. He was staring at the space in front of him blankly.

¡°The calculated chances of erasing his memory was 99.9%.¡±

¡°Yet there is always that small chance we couldn¡¯t erase his memory of this place.¡±

Chikage closed his eyes.

¡°There will always be two ways down the same road. It was just a matter of time before he has to fight, even if he dislikes it.¡±

Light flooded the dim hallway and they came to yet another hanger, but this place was different and smaller. Suits also lined the wall, but only on one side, and they each were separated by walls. The travellator they were on ran down the other side of the hanger, allowing riders to view the suits, each coated with a different colour, each having their own unique set of weapons. Letters were visible on all their right shoulders. The first was raven with a pair of blades, followed by thor, which as the name suggested, had a hammer, valkyrie, which had a pike and shield, and finally guardis. The last suit had a duo of missile pods, plus two segmented, wing-like structures on its back. The travellator finally ended at another doorway and the trio stepped onto the balcony overlooking the control room. Jen, Rio, Chi and Mei were there and they saluted the commander when they saw her.

¡°Glad to see that you¡¯re safe, ma¡¯am.¡±

Chikage nodded at the silver-haired captain and the four of them relaxed. Chikage turned to the duo behind her.

¡°As you all know, this is Sora Truehearted, and of course, the young woman is the system oracle, Fio.¡±

Chikage turned her head towards Jen.

¡°How is Banks doing?¡±

¡°Rika is with him in the medical wing. He¡¯s recovering well and should be fully healed in two days time.¡±

¡°Good. I suppose that answers your question Sora.¡±

Sora remained silent and still, his eyes blankly staring off into space. Jen looked at Chikage bemused.

¡°Didn¡¯t you erase his memory, ma¡¯am?¡±

¡°No. In fact, something much like the opposite happened.¡±

¡°Meaning?¡±

¡°Instead of erasing his mind, he read mine.¡±

All eyes turned to Chikage, who looked over at Sora.

¡°Isn¡¯t that right? You know the entire layout and passwords in this building.¡±

Sora nodded.

¡°You know it¡¯s of no use now because we would probably change what we can.¡±

¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡±

It was the first time Sora spoke since they got on the car, and there was a notable difference in his voice: It was no longer relaxed and neutral. Rather, it was cold and almost harsh. Yet, his face was expressionless as always. Everyone present was taken aback, but Fio understood, somehow. This was what Sora was, what his true self was behind that real life of his.

¡°Any code in any number of languages can be broken. It¡¯s only just a matter of time. To break a level 8 safety lock reinforced with level 5 quicksilver firewalls and level 9 vector lingual trans-converters, it¡¯s child¡¯s play.¡±

Chikage took out a small controller-like object from under her coat and tossed it over at Sora.

¡°Let¡¯s see you do it then.¡±

A holographic keyboard appeared next to the controller, then a screen appeared in front of it. Chikage turned to those at the computer terminals.

¡°Stand by for counter measures against hackers.¡±

¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±

They began typing furiously at their terminals, generating codes to protect the system, whereas Sora stood there blankly looking at the holographic keyboard. Typing in a few letters and hitting the enter key, an alarm went off in the room. All the computer screens turned red with a warning sign.

¡°Firewalls are destroying the system codes we generated! Security lock breached!¡±

¡°Attempting to rewrite firewall codes¡­ what? Vector lingual trans-converters have altered the firewall codes into approximately 30 languages!¡±

The cyber angels turned to look at Sora, who had turned off the controller. Their faces were a mixture of shock and fear.

¡°This is the problem with AI. No matter how complicated the code is, they are actually very linear formula-wise.¡±

¡°Meaning that every program runs on a simple equation.¡±

Sora turned to Fio. She had her hands in front of her and her head was bowed. The bracelet on her right wrist glowed a bit.

¡°Every program¡­ the matrix, the system navigators¡­ even me.¡±

The whole room went pitch black at her last words. A distant turbine could be heard coming to an abrupt halt. Everything was silent for a while, then the lights burst into full brilliance and the computer terminals started to beep again. Sora¡¯s eyes were still fixed on Fio. She could feel his blood red eyes examining her, as if it was the first time he had really seen her. The cyber angels looked about them as the other personnel present went into an uproar of relief.

¡°All systems functioning as per normal.¡±

Duo burst through the door from the travellator, panting hard.

¡°What in the world happened? Everything suddenly went offline!¡±

A screen appeared at one of the control panels. It was Rika.

¡°What happened? The lights just went out all of a sudden.¡±

Chikage looked over at Sora, then over to Rika.

¡°How¡¯s Banks?¡±

¡°Fine. At least he has recovered from all his major wounds.¡±

Duo scratched his head and frowned.

¡°Mind going back to the main subject and fill us in on what happened?¡±

¡°Sora broke the security lock.¡±

¡°Oh.¡±

¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡±

Duo shook his head and sighed.

¡°It¡¯s easy to break any code if you know the logic or basis.¡±

Rika cocked an eyebrow.

¡°I thought you wrote the codes to protect the system?¡±

¡°If I had actually wrote it, it would have taken me around 4 decades. It¡¯s too tedious to write it manually, so programmers normally use an equation to generate the codes nowadays.¡±

¡°That¡¯s why you find that programmers are mostly mathematicians.¡±

Duo turned over to Sora and nodded.

¡°Right on.¡±

Sora tossed the controller back over to Chikage.

¡°I suppose now that I¡¯m done messing up your system, you can tell me why you really brought me here for.¡±

¡°Always the direct approach I see. Follow me.¡±

There were two doors at the back of the balcony, one of which Sora and Fio had come through, the other they were going through now. The hanger was much like the one before, only that it was quite empty. Reaching the end, they came to one of the compartments used to hold the unique WNS, and sure enough there was one of them there. The suit was black in colour with silver trimmings, and on its side was a shield fitted with two gatling guns. On the left arm it had a missile pack and in the middle a blade was wedged, fixed on a hinge. A helm with a gold horn that shot backwards was connected to several machines and the scientists seem to be working on it. Chikage walked up to one of them.

¡°Has it been finished?¡±

¡°Yes, but the system we installed in it is still in the preliminary stages of testing.¡±

¡°Can it be used yet then?¡±

¡°With or without the system? We¡¯re still not sure whether the pilot can stand the amount of stress the WNS is going to produce.¡±

¡°Let¡¯s find out then. Sora.¡±

Sora seem to snap out of his trance and look over at Chikage.

¡°I want you to pilot this suit.¡±

The scientists present all gasped and stared at either Chikage or Sora shocked. The other cyber angels were also taken aback. Jen immediately retorted.

¡°But ma¡¯am, he hasn¡¯t even been trained yet!¡±

¡°He doesn¡¯t need any, do you Sora?¡±

Fio turned to look at Sora. His eyes were fixed on Chikage in a bored manner, as if disbelieving that she had actually asked that question. The scientist who was talking to her gulped.

¡°Ma¡¯am I highly disagree¡­¡±

¡°Open the suit and prepare for launch.¡±

Chikage was serious, and the scientists straightened and saluted her, retreating to their positions at the control panels.

¡°Opening WNS. Disengaging locks.¡±

There was a series of clicking sounds, then the suit opened for Sora to get on. They automatically sealed themselves when he got in. A visor lowered over Sora¡¯s face.

¡°Locks in place. Initiating carapace of joints.¡±

A green grid formed round the places the armour did not cover, and seconds later a grey surface formed over them.

¡°Connecting shield buster vulcans.¡±

The dual gatling guns moved over and connected itself with the suit¡¯s right arm.

¡°Connecting missile pods.¡±

Several holes appeared around the suit, and various arms connected missiles pods onto the suit. It had two on its legs and two on its shoulders.

¡°Disengaging bridge.¡±

The platform below the suit lowered and moved back. There was a circular pool underneath the suit. It appeared quite solid as cranes moved the suit directly over it.

¡°Prepping jump hole.¡±

There was a bang, and the pool suddenly shimmered with a crystal-like liquid. Sora watched as Chikage turned round to the cyber angels. They saluted and went back down the travellator.

¡°Launching suit.¡±

The cranes on the shoulders of the suit released it and it plunged down into the pool. A mass of computer data zipped past, reflecting off Sora¡¯s visor.

¡°Reaching destination point in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­¡±

The green data codes ended and Sora found himself freefalling down into a rocky landscape, much like the one he had been in a few days earlier. The ground shuddered as the suit landed. Sora stood up straight and looked around him. Chikage voiced sounded from the intercom.

¡°What you¡¯ve just been through is the usual jump hole. It transmits you to what we call channel points. There are various channel points in each sector of the matrix, most of which we have access to.¡±

¡°What happens when I don¡¯t make it through the jump hole?¡±

¡°You get deleted by the system and thrown into junk data. The others are on their way, so hold on.¡±

Sora looked into the sky. Sure enough several more jump holes appeared and everyone else arrived, with the exception of Rika and Banks. All of them hovered around Sora. He then noticed that only his suit had a helm: the others only had an earpiece and small mike, save chi who had an additional visor. Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom again.

¡°Duo, I want you to fire missiles at Sora.¡±

¡°What?¡±

¡°Just do it.¡±

¡°Okay¡­¡±

In the control room back in the facility, Chikage nodded to the scientists that were working on the suit. They immediately began typing at their consoles.

¡°Initiating sixth sense program.¡±

Sora¡¯s visor suddenly flickered and displayed several round objects. The missile hatches on Duo¡¯s guardis opened, and Fio watched from the control room as a volley of missiles headed towards Sora. The circular objects on Sora¡¯s visor began to move and marked the positions of the missiles as they flew towards him. Lifting his gatling arm, Sora fired, destroying the missiles, but one managed to get past the hail of bullets and bounced off Sora¡¯s shield, making a large clanging sound and explode seemingly harmlessly. From the control room, the scientists were overjoyed that the program had worked.

¡°Hit ratio is 96.8%!¡±

¡°All vital signs are normal. Sixth sense program still functioning, hypothetical feed at 5 gigabytes per second.¡±

Fio looked up at Chikage. She was smiling.

Back in the matrix, the circular objects on the Sora¡¯s visor pinpointed all the other WNS¡¯ positions. Sora turned to where guardis was hovering, and the circle on it turned red. Several holes opened on the suit¡¯s back, and thrusters ignited, causing a cloud of dust to rise up as Sora shot towards guardis.

¡°What the¡­?¡±

Sora¡¯s suit suddenly overshadowed guardis. Before Duo could react, the suit¡¯s dual gatling guns came down hard on guardis, driving it into the ground where the rock cracked and debris flew into the air. Jen turned to where Duo had landed.

¡°Duo!¡±

Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom again.

¡°What are you doing Jen?¡±

¡°Ma¡¯am!¡±

¡°Treat Sora like any other enemy. He will stop at nothing to kill all of you. Do not hold back! Do you hear?¡±

Gritting his teeth, Jen turned to the rest of the team and spoke to them through a private line.

¡°Chi, Rio, the two of you get round to the back of Sora and attack him while I attract his attention. Mei, I want a full scan of that suit. Find any weaknesses he has.¡±

¡°Look out!¡±

Jen turned, just in time to see Sora flying towards him, left fist lifted. Jen drew his blades, and sparks flew everywhere as energy met energy.

¡°What are you trying to do? We¡¯re on the same side.¡±

Sora didn¡¯t reply, but instead flipped his blade forward, breaking the cross he made with his blades and sent him spinning. Jen steadied himself just before he hit the ground. Rio took this opportunity where Sora¡¯s back was against her and threw thor¡¯s hammer at him. The shapes on Sora¡¯s visor blinked and he turned, smiting the hammer with his shield. It flew back to Rio, who caught it. Raising his gatling gun, Sora fired, sending a blanket of lead onto thor. Rio screamed in pain as she too fell to the rocky ground. Sora¡¯s visor blinked again, and he got out of the way just in time as a thick beam shot past him. Chi was on the ground, carrying what looked like a plasma cannon. She fired again, but Sora quickly dodged it. The missile pod on his arm opened, and Sora fired a single missile at Chi. Mobility drastically decreased because of the plasma cannon, Chi was unable to get away as the missile imploded, splitting into four smaller rockets which hit her hard. Jen was horrified. Thrusters to full, he charged towards Sora.

¡°Go to hell!¡±

Jen lifted both his blades and swung them at Sora, who promptly blocked them with his shield. Sparks flew everywhere as Jen and Sora locked stares.

¡°You enjoy killing, don¡¯t you?¡±

No reply. Jen pushed harder down on Sora with his blades.

¡°Answer me!¡±

¡°That was once what I was.¡±

To Jen¡¯s amazement, Sora knocked his blades aside, sending them flying across the air into a rock outcrop. Lifting his left fist, Sora punched Jen, causing him to hurtle back down to solid ground and crash into a rock pillar. Jen winced in pain and opened his eyes. Sora was heading straight for him. He tried moving, but raven wasn¡¯t responding that well, managing a long creak and sputter, but nothing else. Fist raised, Sora charged towards Jen, and he braced himself for impact: the inevitable broken bones, punctured organs, and all sorts of punishment his body would take. Maybe he would get lucky, and his spinal cord would snap and he won¡¯t feel a thing. As Sora¡¯s fist shot out however, it didn¡¯t hit Jen. A shield sparked round raven, protecting Jen. Small shards of metal were imbedded in the shield, and Jen realised what it was.

¡°Duo?¡±

Sora and Jen turned. Duo had his hand outstretched towards raven, and part of his left wing was missing. He smiled.

¡°You can¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡±

Duo winced, and smiled again.

¡°Dang, this piece of junk won¡¯t move anymore¡­¡±

¡°Duo!¡±

Jen tried moving again, but to no avail. Sora lifted his gatling rifle, and aimed it at guardis. All of a sudden, his mind went blank. It was as if he wasn¡¯t there, but he could still feel his body present. All his muscles froze, even his eyelids stopped. He could see Duo on the ground in front of him, totally helpless, but he couldn¡¯t pull the trigger. He couldn¡¯t move at all, as if he had become a statue.

In the control room, the scientists were typing furiously.

¡°Subject¡¯s mentality is deteriorating.¡±

¡°Initiating emergency shut down¡­ no use! Codes are being rejected.¡±

The suit seem to just freeze in front of Jen. Even Sora seemed to have stopped in time, his eyes open, but unblinking. Finally raven responded and Jen pulled himself from the rocky surface. Cautiously he waved his hand in front of Sora¡¯s face. The suit remained perfectly still. Jen stepped back in fear.

¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

Chikage voice appeared. It sounded as if she was in a panic.

¡°Jen, take off Sora¡¯s helm.¡±

¡°Ma¡¯am? What¡¯s going on?¡±

¡°The new program we installed into that suit is a prototype analysis system. It feeds calculated statistics directly into the person¡¯s mind, giving the pilot the ability to predict enemy movements and react to them accordingly.¡±

¡°Are you saying that Sora knew what we were planning to do all this while?¡±

¡°Yes, but the program has side effects. The huge amount of data sent to the person¡¯s mind can drive him or her into insanity. Only those who have the proper training can control the system¡¯s power, but it is also only to a certain extent. Take off his helm now!¡±

Without a second thought Jen jumped forward and wrenched the helm off Sora¡¯s head. Like a waterfall, Sora¡¯s mind was suddenly flooded with his memories. Images of his past flashed by, images which he had tried to forget. All the locks on the suit opened, and Sora felt himself falling. His body still didn¡¯t respond, and he felt the world around him go blur, then dark.

Author¡¯s ramble

Sora is sitting on a chair facing a laptop, face indifferent as usual. A red crab appears on the keyboard out of nowhere.

Crab: Well, Chapter 2¡¯s done¡­ notices Sora¡¯s blank stare What?

Sora: Are you the author of this story?

Crab: Yeah. Why?

Sora: But¡­ you¡¯re a crab.

Crab, or Fujizr Fooj Crabster (FFC): So what? You¡¯d prefer a fuji apple? Sora stares dot-eyed as FFC starts up several programs on the laptop, skittering across the keyboard I like crabs, and I though I might as well turn into one with my author powers. You wouldn¡¯t want to see me as a human anyway.

Silence. Then, slowly, Sora raises a finger and moves it towards one of the two black pearls for eyes FFC has that protrude out from stalks. Just as he is about to touch it, a claw snaps over Sora¡¯s finger. Wincing in pain, he draws back. FFC turned round, looking extremely pissed, for a crab.

FFC: What IS it with everyone? Sure my eyes can stick out and shrink back, but why do people like you want to touch them?

Sora: I was just curious.

FFC: What are you doing here anyway? You¡¯re suppose to be unconscious.

Sora: You need a muse, right?¡±

FFC: Muse? What¡¯s that?

Sweatdrop Sora: You know¡­ some guy who becomes a nuisance?

FFC: Oh. Nah. My brother has that job. A six-year-old runs past, holding a chainsaw and laughing manically PUT THAT BACK! Gruesome ripping sounds were heard from next door as Sora sweatdropped Oh well¡­ I hop he remembers to clean up, or dad¡¯ll be mad.

Sora: Did your brother just¡­

FFC: Mutilate someone with a chainsaw, splattering his guts and innards onto the carpet floor as foam frothed from his mouth, eyeballs popping so much they could have fallen off? Nah. Just playing with his pillow. Sweatdrops from Sora

Sora: Weird.

FFC: Nope. Just annoying. Anyway, since you¡¯re here you can help me with the story, that is if you don¡¯t mind.

Sora: Okay.


	4. Chapter 3

Author¡¯s Notes

stands for telepathic communication

stands for computer communication

Sorry about not informing you all. On with the story now.

**=Chapter 3=**

When Sora awoke, he found himself staring at the ceiling of a room.

¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

Sora turned his head slightly. It was Fio. She was sitting next to the bed he was in. She looked relieved, almost happy. Sora tried to get up, but Fio placed her hands on his shoulders.

¡°The doctor said that you should rest.¡±

Sora looked at Fio straight in the eye, but the blue-haired girl held her ground, and Sora obediently lied back down. She pulled the rumpled sheets back over Sora, and sat back down next to him.

¡°What happened after I passed out?¡±

¡°Chikage sent some people down to get you and the others out. When Jen pulled the helm off you, the sixth sense program messed up the sector a bit, but things were straightened out after a while.¡± 

Fio was trying not to make eye contact, as far as Sora could tell.

¡°What happened to the cyber angels?¡±

¡°They suffered only minor injuries and have fully recovered.¡±

¡°How long have I been out?¡±

¡°Two days.¡±

A thought suddenly occurred to Sora.

¡°How long have you been here?¡±

Fio bent her head lower, and Sora noticed that she was clutching her bangle tightly.

¡°Two days¡­¡±

There was an awkward silence. Fio herself could hardly believe that she had spent all this time at Sora¡¯s side. Why did she feel so attached to him? Was it because he had saved her? Or was it something else? Sora examined Fio, he then noticed something shining on the small table next to the bed. It was his bangle.

¡°Why did you bring that here?¡±

Fio looked up, surprised, then turned to the table where the bangle lay.

¡°I¡¯m sorry. Since we left your house, I¡¯ve had it with me.¡±

She reached out to take it, only to have Sora¡¯s hand on hers as they both reached for the article. There was a pause. Sora¡¯s hand was warm and comforting, but the feeling soon left Fio as he withdrew his arm. Grasping the bangle, Fio returned it to her pocket. She had changed, and now wore a pink low-cut blouse and a long blue skirt with white flowers spiralling down one side. She also had a large white bow tied on her hair where the black band once was. Sora looked back up at the ceiling.

¡°I try not to live in the past¡­ but it seems to haunt me everyday.¡±

Fio just had to ask.

¡°Did you really want to kill them?¡±

Silence. It was after some time that Sora spoke.

¡°My eyes have been tainted by bloodshed, as are my hands drenched in blood.¡±

There was knock on the door, and Chikage entered. She smiled when she saw Sora was awake.

¡°We were starting to get worried.¡±

The cyber angels followed Chikage in. They looked fine, even Banks was there. Fio stood up and gave her seat to Chikage. The young women just watched Sora for a while, before she spoke.

¡°I think there¡¯s someone you have to thank, Sora.¡±

Sora nodded, and turned to Jen.

¡°Thanks for saving me, despite the fact that I nearly killed you.¡±

Jen shrugged.

¡°Chikage told me to do it. If she trusts you, then I guess I do too.¡±

Chikage nodded.

¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±

¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Why did you attack us in the first place?¡±

¡°Funny you should ask that Duo.¡±

¡°Huh?¡±

Sora turned to look at the mechanic.

¡°You attacked me first.¡±

¡°Oh, yeah¡­¡±

Rika shook her head.

¡°Dense¡­¡±

Sora looked back at Chikage.

¡°When will I be discharged?¡±

¡°Tomorrow morning, I suppose. Then you can resume your duty as a cyber angel.¡±

Everyone gasped and looked at Chikage.

¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±

¡°He¡¯s going to be a cyber angel?¡±

¡°Are you serious?¡±

Chikage smiled at Sora and nodded.

¡°That suit needs a pilot, and you¡¯re the only one we have that isn¡¯t at some mental institution.¡±

Sora took one good look at Chikage, then nodded too.

¡°Oh, and we need to get a paint job. What name should your suit be?¡±

Sora blinked and looked back up at the ceiling. An old memory floated up in his mind.

¡°Seeker.¡±

¡°What?¡±

¡°Name the suit Seeker.¡±

Silence followed as everyone digested the information.

¡°Seeker? What is it with that?¡±

¡°Since you want it though, I¡¯ll get someone to work on it right away.¡±

¡°Thanks, Duo.¡±

¡°Anytime.¡±

Chikage stood up.

¡°Well, with that settled¡­¡±

She turned to Fio.

¡°¡­I think someone has a story to tell.¡±

Fio bowed her head, uncomfortable to have become the centre of attention.

¡°It¡¯s time you told us what this is all about.¡±

Jen nodded.

¡°What¡¯s happening to the matrix?¡±

Fio stole a peak at Sora. He was looking at the window. Her hands clasped round her metal bangle, she looked back up and opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. Chikage smiled encouragingly.

¡°Go on.¡±

Fio blinked, and thought for a while. Why not? Part of her conscious asked. We shouldn¡¯t worry humans about this mess, the other side countered. They seem like nice people, and they are guardians of the matrix also. Sort of. So what? It¡¯s beyond their comprehension as to what¡¯s going to happen. Still, we have to try¡­

Fio took in a deep breath and spoke.

¡°The entire matrix is a system of sectors connected by points. Its creators initially called it the internet, and people thought it was some sort of trick, but as time progressed, more and more people began linking up to it. Back then, the internet was like a huge library, providing information and data in the blink of an eye to users. It became a worldwide phenomenon, and almost everyone was hooked on to the system by the 21st century. Problems also arose because of this as users manipulated the system, using things such as ¡®viruses¡¯ and ¡®spam mail¡¯ to disrupt the flow of information from place to place.¡±

¡°That¡¯s when firewalls and scanners were introduced, correct?¡±

Fio nodded.

¡°Yes, but the problems still got worst and the second generation of the creators of the internet tried to create a totally independent program capable of dealing with any problems hackers threw into the internet. They succeeded in creating one just before the new millennium started. At first it was effective, wiping out any new virus that came by, but then the program went wayward, destroying the entire mainframe.¡±

Duo¡¯s eyes widened.

¡°Millennium bug?¡±

Everyone held their breathes and looked at Fio for the answer. She nodded, confirming their fears.

¡°The second generation creators realised that with the correct sequence of data input, a human can ¡°enter¡± the internet and this opened new doors for ideas. As viruses were becoming a problem again, they decided to create a program which could counter this problem without having to be constantly updated. They hit upon the idea then of infusing codes into a human, giving programs the ability to respond and adapt to any situation, ¡®project oracle¡®. As jump holes were still experimental then, they had to rely solely on theories to create the program. They got the human in safely, and he was placed in an empty sector for analysis and the insertion of the codes, but when they started up the program, the human¡¯s mental ability went berserk after a while and he went insane. Since he was infused with all the codes to every single location in the internet, he went about destroying everything.¡±

Duo shook his head, still unable to believe what Fio had just said.

¡°They said that there was something called the millennium bug that was going to mess every system in the world up at the beginning of the 21st century. They got everyone off the internet so that they can fix the problem, only giving the go for some organizations to resume use because the effect on them would be small.¡±

¡°The second and third generation creators managed to contain the program. Surprisingly he regained his mentality after a while and went on to live a normal life, but never to go near the internet again. Still, the creators still went on experimenting. They reasoned that the first project failed because the human mind has limits as to how many codes can be written into it, with women having a higher capacity than men. With scientific advancements, they began experimenting with DNA, and they divided all the codes they had into sections, writing them into seven separate individual programs fused with human genes and hormones. The project was a success, and each oracle was given an identification bar, allowing them access to almost the whole of the new internet, namely the matrix. The letters you see on my bangle¡­¡±

Fio lifted her right hand, and the light reflected the letters on it.

¡°¡­are actually a series of codes for me to travel through the matrix.¡±

There was silence. The curtains were wavering as a breeze blew in. Everyone was looking at Fio, their suspicions proven true. The only person who didn¡¯t seem interested was Sora, who was still looking out of the window. A mockingbird was signing in the tree right next to the hospital building.

¡°How did you end up in that virus then? System oracles are suppose to be all powerful when it comes to dealing with them.¡±

Fio looked down at her hands.

¡°The seven of us meet every once in a while to relate anything new that was taking place, but the last time we met, there was a boy there, as if he was expecting us. We asked him who he was, but he only smiled¡­ and we all just shut down.¡±

An awkward silence followed. Who in the world had enough power to bring down seven oracles at once?

¡°Can you remember anything after that?¡±

¡°I only woke up when Sora was fighting that¡­ thing.¡±

¡°Maybe he was a creator?¡± Duo queried. ¡°That boy. He might have just performed a check-up and got ambushed by some hackers.¡±

Fio closed her eyes and shook her head, the movement causing her hair to sway from side to side.

¡°We do our own check-ups. The fourth generation creators prefer to have us act independently then control us, and all of them are already well in their thirties.¡±

Chikage looked over to Jen.

¡°Well, one thing¡¯s for certain.¡±

Jen nodded.

¡°We¡¯ll have to stop this person as soon as possible, before he does some serious damage.¡±

Fio looked at him worriedly.

¡°Please, they¡¯re my sisters.¡±

Chikage smiled knowingly.

¡°We¡¯ll try not to hurt your sisters, but we¡¯re not even sure how we can do that when they are in the viruses, but I¡¯m sure Duo will think of something.¡±

¡°Eh?¡± Duo jumped at the mention of his name.

¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

Duo scratched his head.

¡°Umm¡­ technically speaking the oracles are living, so I¡¯m not sure whether I can do anything about it.¡±

¡°Get Jun to help you then.¡±

Duo froze, a large sweatdrop appearing next to his forehead.

¡°Um¡­ heh¡­ I think I can work something out on my own¡­ yeah.¡±

Duo walked towards the door, mumbling to himself.

¡°Duo Maxwell!¡±

Duo¡¯s hand was at the doorknob as he paused. Rika had called him. She crossed her arms.

¡°Since Chikage said that you should get my help, then I¡¯ll help you.¡±

Duo¡¯s shoulders sagged as he bowed his head.

¡°I¡¯m dead.¡±

Sora was wondering what that was all about, but the others only exchanged smiles. Fio was at a loss also, but Chikage turned their attention back to their current situation.

¡°We¡¯ll have to be more cautious now. We¡¯re dealing with new viruses. No matter what we do, we cannot kill the ones that are trapped inside them!¡±

Fio smiled at Chikage gratefully.

¡°Thank you.¡±

Chikage returned the smile before replacing it with her serious expression.

¡°Duo, you and Rika try and find a way we can separate the virus and oracles.¡±

¡°Got it!¡±

Duo left too hastily with Rika at his heels.

¡°Fio.¡±

Fio jumped slightly at her name.

¡°Yes?¡±

¡°Could you lead Jen and the others to where you met that boy?¡±

Fio nodded.

¡°Good. Can you go tomorrow?¡±

Fio hesitated, looking at Sora absentmindedly. Sora returned the gaze, and with that she made her decision.

¡°Yes.¡±

¡°Well then, we shouldn¡¯t bother Sora too much. He needs his rest.¡±

Standing, everyone left the room, leaving Chikage alone with Sora. Chikage watched as everyone left through the door, and smiled as soon as it clicked shut again.

¡°I¡¯ll ask you the same question. How do you find that oracle?¡±

Sora closed his eyes.

¡°She has a name.¡±

Sora heard the chair scrape the floor as Chikage stood. Her footsteps echoed as the door clicked.

¡°I see.¡±

The door clicked once more, and the room was silent. Sora opened his eyes, and raised his left hand. He looked at it.

¡°The proof of my existence¡­¡±

Sora let his hand fall to his side, and he slept.

The next day, Sora was discharged from the ward. When he asked the nurse what date it was, she replied that it was a Tuesday. Sora had completely forgotten the time, but it made little difference anyway. Chikage was at the main entrance waiting for him. Nothing much happened on their way to the cyber angel headquarters, but Chikage did briefly mention that she had settled his absence in school.

¡°Not that you need to go to school.¡±

Sora¡¯s head still felt a bit numb, so he closed his eyes and rested a bit. They finally arrived, and as usual Ci was there to greet them

¡°Herald left a message ma¡¯am. He said that he was going overseas and won¡¯t be back until two weeks later on Friday.¡±

¡°Expected. He¡®ll have to explain to those shameless politicians what¡¯s going on with the matrix. Are you free Ci?¡±

Ci nodded.

¡°Good. Could you bring Sora down to the tailors? We¡¯ll need to get him a uniform.¡±

¡°Now, ma¡¯am?¡±

¡°Yes.¡±

With that Chikage left down the elevator, leaving Sora there as Ci went back to the desk. She took out her handbag and looked over at Sora. She smiled.

¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

In the matrix, Duo was manning an airship as the others flew round it in their WNS. His pride and joy, the airship, _Éclair_, was Duo¡¯s creation. Capable of creating its own jump holes, the ship could travel at the speed of sound, and even possibly that of light if pushed to its limit, its sleek body cutting out any air resistances opposing the craft. The ship itself looked like a hawk as it swoops down for its kill, its hull painted black, with red streak running down its wings like war markings. Like it¡¯s namesake, it moves almost like a bolt of lightning, unpredictable and dangerous. Equipped with six laser canons, five missile pods, and a formidable particle cannon which Duo nicknamed _Little Dragon_, the airship also has an A.I. which basically adapts to any situation thrown at it, making the craft an overall hell bringer to anyone or anything that opposes it. Though the craft is modestly small compared to most military battleships, it¡¯s carapace is thick enough to take a beating and on the inside is spacious enough to house all the cyber angel¡¯s WNS. Fio was with Duo on the bridge. Duo looked out of the window screen as Jen flew by.

¡°So how are the thrusters I installed in those suits?¡±

Jen¡¯s voice came through the intercom.

¡°They¡¯re doing wonders Duo.¡±

¡°They should be. Those thrusters gives you an increased mobility of 300%¡±

Duo keyed in a few commands into the computer and a map of the matrix appeared in front of him. He turned to look at Fio, who was at his side.

¡°So where is it?¡±

Fio, who was looking out of the window into the open sky, turned her attention to the map. She pointed at the place.

¡°Section 12, grid 2435.¡±

Duo typed a few more commands and face-faulted.

¡°You met in a Chinese restaurant?¡±

Fio blinked.

¡°No. We met behind it.¡±

¡°Whatever you say¡­¡±

He opened a com-link to everyone.

¡°I¡¯m sending you the coordinates now.¡±

In a flash the information was transferred to the ear piece of the other cyber angels and it projected an image in front of their eyes.

¡°There must be something wrong Duo, this is a¡­¡±

¡°I know¡­ they met behind it.¡±

Sounds of realisation came from the intercom as the ship altered its course for the destination. Fio was curious to know what they were doing.

¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

Duo looked up at Fio before turning back to the controls.

¡°Chinese restaurants are a haven for hackers and spammers.¡±

Fio tilted her head, her fluid blue hair falling to one side.

¡°We automatically cancel out all viruses and spam mail within the area we are in so long as the data is within us.¡±

Duo stopped typing on the keyboard and cocked his eyebrow.

¡°That¡¯s convenient¡­¡±

Ci and Sora entered the emporium. It was deserted since it was still early in the day and everyone was either at work or at school. Sora followed Ci through the square and they came to an archway guarded by two security personnel. They eyed the two of them as they neared. Calmly Ci took out a card and showed it to them, and one of the security guards took away the red rope blocking the entrance, allowing them passage. Ci turned to Sora.

¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

Sora nodded. The emporium itself branched out into different sections. This particular street was commonly known as VIP road, because only those rich enough to afford a pass can enter here. It was a shopping haven, full of renowned brand names and high-class restaurants. Ci brought Sora down the street and into one of the shops. It looked like a men¡¯s boutique, from what Sora could see. Immediately they were greeted by a man.

¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Ci.¡±

Ci smiled.

¡°It sure is.¡±

The man wore a white collared shirt and black vest, plus a pair of dark blue pants. He hugged Ci and looked over at Sora.

¡°So who¡¯s this?¡±

¡°Walter, meet Sora Truehearted. Sora, this is Walter Emo, tailor and owner of Emo tailors.¡±

Sora and Walter shook hands.

¡°So you¡¯re here for a cyber angel uniform?¡±

Ci nodded, and smiled.

¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

¡°Not at all.¡±

Walter took a good look at Sora, scratching his chin as he did so. He smiled after a while.

¡°I¡¯ve got just the thing.¡±

Back in the matrix, the cyber angels arrived at the back of the Chinese restaurant. _Éclair_ cloaked itself as it hovered down, dropping off the cyber angels and Fio. Duo tapped at the controls on the bridge and a bluish orb appeared in front of him. 

¡°Get yourself back to base, alright?¡± Duo told the A.I., smiling. The bluish ball blinked several times before disappearing. As Duo got into his WNS and got off, the airship hummed to life and flew off, its back draft sending dust scattering all over the place.

There was a small garden, and the trees were sporting autumn looks. A stone table stood next to a pond filled with fish, accompanied by a few stone chairs. Jen looked over at Fio.

¡°Is this the place?¡±

Fio nodded. The seven of them loved nature, so whenever they met, it would be at a place with lots of plants and animals. Jen turned to the others.

¡°Alright. All of you spread out. I want a full search of this place. See if you can find anything unusual.¡±

After taking some measurements, Walter gave Sora what looked like a scuba suit. It felt like cold steel however, as Sora put it on and came out of the dressing room. Walter took one look and smiled.

¡°Perfect.¡±

Sora looked down at his hand, part of the strange material covered a bit of the back of his hand as it hooked onto his middle fingers.

¡°What is this?¡±

¡°The standard WNS plug suit.¡±

Sora looked up at Ci for an explanation.

¡°The suit is actually a series of circuits that maintains your body¡¯s temperature and metabolism while in the WNS. It doubles as an electrical insulator in case your WNS short-circuits.¡±

Sora looked at his arms again. The strange fabric clung to his limbs.

¡°Am I suppose to wear this all the time?¡±

¡°Whenever you are in your WNS.¡±

Walter handed Sora some other clothes.

¡°The good thing is that you can wear clothes over it. The suit is basically there to protect you in case the WNS fails. It has its own tracker that works in and out of the matrix and an intercom for you to communicate with the control centre at anytime. They¡¯re those rings on your fingers.¡±

A few minutes later, Sora emerged from the dressing room again. This time he had on a pair of black trousers, laced heavy duty boots, a loose white t-shirt and a jumper with GISB¡¯s emblem, consisting of the world with the organization¡¯s name revolving around it, imprinted on its sleeve. Walter blinked, mildly surprised at his own handiwork.

¡°Not bad¡­¡±

Ci agreed whole-heartedly.

¡°There¡¯s one problem though¡­¡±

She walked forward and took off the glasses that Sora wore. Walter smiled.

¡°Honestly I didn¡¯t think anyone else but Jen could make it look good in that suit.¡±

Sora blinked, and Ci chuckled.

¡°How much?¡±

¡°I¡¯ll send the bill over next month.¡±

¡°Thanks, Walter.¡±

After chatting with Walter for a while, they left the boutique. Ci checked her watch.

¡°Look at the time! Let¡¯s go for lunch.¡±

¡°In this?¡±

Ci had insisted that Sora wear the uniform for a while to get use to it. She smiled at him.

¡°You do look rather cute in it.¡±

Sora blinked, but said nothing and followed Ci as she headed for a nearby restaurant. It was quite empty as it was still early, and the man in front greeted them.

¡°And you¡¯d like a table for¡­¡±

His voice trailed off as he examined Sora. He sounded definitely French. Ci smiled politely.

¡°A table for two please.¡±

The man snapped from his trance and held out his hand, inviting the two of them to come in. He led them to a table at the side of the restaurant and handed them the menu. Ci browsed through the menu as Sora watched her silently.

¡°What do you want?¡±

¡°Anything is fine with me.¡±

Ci paused and looked at Sora, then she smiled.

¡°It¡¯s hard to find boys as well-behaved as you are nowadays.¡±

¡°Your point being?¡±

Ci smiled and shook her head.

¡°I was just commenting on how you behaved, that¡¯s all.¡±

Ci called for the waiter and placed their order, handing back the menu as she did so. The other waiters seem to be murmuring among themselves and glancing at Sora, but he ignored this. Slowly, but surely, the place began to fill up as the minutes ticked by. Most of them looked like executives and business people, but their actions were the same: all of them glanced at Sora briefly before chatting with their companions or looking through the menu. Again Sora chose to ignore this and closed his eyes as they waited for their food.

¡°Hey Sora.¡±

Sora looked up to find Ronald standing there, grinning from ear to ear. Ci also looked up from a book she was reading.

¡°Are you a friend of Sora¡¯s?¡±

Ronald nodded, and turned back to face Sora.

¡°So it¡¯s true then, you¡¯ve become a cyber angel.¡±

¡°What of it?¡±

Ronald snorted.

¡°The cyber angels are legends. Man, what¡¯d you do to get into the organization?¡±

Sora shrugged.

¡°What are you doing here?¡±

¡°My father dropped by the school today, so he decided to take me out for lunch.¡±

¡°By any chance is your father Ron Howitzer?¡±

Ronald turned to Ci surprised.

¡°How did you know?¡±

Ci smiled.

¡°He¡¯s one of the highest benefactors of the cyber angels.¡±

¡°You work for the cyber angels also?¡±

¡°Who did you think I was.¡±

¡°Well¡­ I thought you were Sora¡¯s mother.¡±

Ci smiled politely, but she did look offended.

¡°I¡¯m still in my twenties thank you.¡±

¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

¡°Ronald!¡±

¡°Got to run, see you.¡±

¡°Bye.¡±

Ci and Sora watched as Ronald left.

¡°He¡¯s quite a rude boy don¡¯t you think?¡±

Sora shook his head.

¡°Just insensitive, that¡¯s all.¡±

Their food finally came and they ate.

In the matrix, the cyber angels were searching the place. They had gone over it trice already, but still nothing strange was found. Fio was sitting on the stone stool closest to the pond, watching as the fish swam about. She smiled to herself. Duo appeared at the entrance with a bag of boxes.

¡°At least there¡¯s a restaurant nearby.¡±

Everybody took a break and got out of their WNS. Sitting round the stone table, they dug into the food. The Chinese food was good. Fio watched as they ate, Jen was the first to notice this after a while.

¡°Why don¡¯t you eat something like the system navigators do?¡±

Fio shook her head.

¡°I don¡¯t have to in the matrix.¡±

Duo slurped up a particularly long serving of noodles and looked over at Fio curiously.

¡°You mean to say you don¡¯t need anything to sustain yourself so long as you¡¯re in the matrix?¡±

Fio nodded. She had been out of the matrix a few times, and it was only at these times did she begin to have almost human sensations. Hunger, warmth, softness¡­ those were just a few of the things she had felt when she was outside of the matrix. The seven of them agreed it was strange that such a thing could happen.

They finished their meal and went back into their suits. Again they combed the place, but this time Fio felt something. Her spine tingled as she turned to look at the pond.

¡°I can sense my sister¡­¡±

Rika, who was closest to her, turned.

¡°What?¡±

Fio pointed at the middle of the pond.

¡°Something¡¯s over there.¡±

¡°Of course! The pond!¡±

Rika turned to Jen.

¡°He¡­¡±

All of a sudden the pond rippled, and a creature burst out of the water, knocking Rika out. The other cyber angels turned around stunned. The creature growled, and Jen pulled his blades out just in time as the creature jumped forward and swiped him with its claws.

¡°Dang it¡¯s fast¡­¡±

Jen pushed the creature back. His arm was bleeding slightly where the creature had scratched him.

¡°It¡¯s smart too, taking out our healer first. Chi, generate temporary fie¡­¡±

It was too late. The creature grabbed Chi by her head and threw her into a tree, causing it to snap and fall. Chi slumped to the ground unconscious, against the stump of the tree. The creature growled again, and jumped towards Jen for a second assault, but found itself trapped in a shield. Angrily it clawed at it, and the shield reverberated with each hit. Duo was sweating from the energy needed to keep the shield up.

¡°I can¡¯t keep him in there for long¡­¡±

Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom.

¡°What¡¯s happening? Why is there a virus signature?¡±

¡°It just ambushed us all of a sudden. I think it¡¯s one of the oracle mutations. It¡¯s already taken out Rika and Chi.¡±

¡°What?¡±

Chikage turned to a panel of personnel.

¡°Evacuate the area! Seal off that section!¡±

¡°No go! Area is already saturated with too much data!¡±

Chikage frowned. This was bad.

¡°Jen, keep that creature in the area, do not let it escape!¡±

¡°Understood!¡±

The shield finally broke and the creature pounced on Duo. Luckily Banks caught it mid air with his lance and threw him onto the ground. It yelped in pain.

¡°You alright Duo?¡±

¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±

The creature got up again, but he didn¡¯t immediately pounce on any of them, but looked about it. All of a sudden, it leapt onto the roof of the restaurant.

¡°Damn! Duo, get Rika and Chi onto the hover ship. Bring them back to the control centre. The rest of you, follow me!¡±

¡°Roger!¡±

Jen, Rio, Banks and Mei took flight. The creature had jumped from the restaurant roof onto the busy street below, and pedestrians all backed away in fear as the creature looked about it, growling. Suddenly, it roared and jumped at a small girl clutching a teddy bear. She screamed, but luckily Jen came just in time, blocking the blow. Rio scooped up the girl, just as her mother came.

¡°Christie!¡±

Rio ran over.

¡°Here.¡±

¡°Thank you!¡±

She turned to the rest.

¡°Everyone evacuate from this place now!¡±

They didn¡¯t need telling twice. With Mei and Rio helping them, everyone was soon safely out of the sector. Chikage smiled.

¡°Good work girls.¡±

Laughter filled the empty streets all of a sudden. A high-pitched, evil sound. The four cyber angels looked about them confused.

¡°Oh, the fun¡¯s just beginning!¡±

¡°Show yourself!¡±

The air above the creature seem to shimmer and a woman appeared. She wore a full length cloak-like dress with purple swirling patterns. Brushing aside part of her red hair, she eyed the cyber angels, her purple eyes glinting gleefully.

¡°Who are you?¡±

The woman smiled.

¡°That is of no importance.¡±

Banks growled. He leapt forward, lance ready, but the woman threw Banks backwards with a wave of her hand.

¡°How amusing¡­ Why not we have some fun then?¡±

She lifted both her hands, and a black sphere materialized above her. The gathering energy causes a whirlwind to form, blowing loose items around. Jen and the others cover their faces as the wind becomes stronger.

¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

The sphere in the woman¡¯s hands glowed purple, and spikes shoot out of it in all directions.

¡°Everyone up!¡±

The cyber angels flew into the sky just in time as the spikes hit the ground where they had stood. The street cracked and shuddered as more creatures appeared. They were hideous, saliva dripping from their oversized jaws as they moaned and stretched. Their bodies seemed to be made entirely out of limbs stitched together, twisted at awkward angles and covered in what looked like blood.

¡°What in the¡­?¡±

Suddenly, the cyber angels found themselves entangled in a web of wings. Some of the creature had wings stitched onto them, and they could use them though they were like the rest of their bodies: twisted and broken. All of them fell to the ground, where hundreds more swarmed over them. Jen managed to pull out one of his swords and hacked away at those crawling over him, but more soon followed. The others did about the same, but there was simply too many of them. The woman laughed.

¡°How entertaining¡­¡±

Two red beams suddenly shot past her, eradicating most of the minions she had summoned. She spun round, surprised.

¡°What?¡±

Standing there was Fio. She was no longer in the dress she wore, but instead was in full battle gear. Her swimsuit-like armour was blood red, with green trimmings. On her arms were two armlets, each with a transparent orb. Her thighs were bare, but the lower half of her legs were covered in armour. She had a visor on, which also had a red hue to it, and two short wings shot out from the sides of her face. Those were the only things that weren¡¯t red, but white with a red strip running down the middle.

¡°Return my sister!¡±

The woman was caught off guard, but smiled and composed herself.

¡°You sister? Why don¡¯t I let her decide for herself?¡±

The creature roared and lunged at Fio who jumped away. She couldn¡¯t hurt her own sister.

¡°It¡¯s me, Fio!¡±

Unheeding, the creature slashed at Fio viciously. Jen and the others finished off the rest of the minions, and ran forward to help Fio, but the woman blocked their way again.

¡°Going somewhere?¡±

More minions appeared. Jen pulled out his other blade as the others readied for the attack.

¡°Damn!¡±

All of a sudden, missiles flew into the mass of minions and exploded, destroying all of them and filling the place with smoke. Jen squinted through the dust.

¡°What just happen?¡±

¡°Sorry I¡¯m late.¡±

The dust cleared with Sora¡¯s thrusters as he landed. His visor was gone, but he still wore the helm. The woman gritted her teeth.

¡°Who are you?¡±

¡°I should be asking you the same question.¡±

The woman sneered.

¡°No matter, your presence means nothing to me!¡±

More minions rose with a wave of his hand, but Sora mowed them down with his gatling guns. With full thrust, Sora charged forward, slashing and hitting the minions like ragged dolls in a dog¡¯s mouth. Sora went straight for the woman, but met with a shield instead, and was thrown back by her. Sora steadied himself with his boosters.

¡°You think you¡¯re so great? Try this!¡±

¡°Rage!¡±

The woman stopped, hands half raised.

¡°Rage! Return now!¡±

The woman turned to the sky.

¡°But¡­¡±

¡°Return now! The master is unhappy with you.¡±

The woman known as Rage cursed under her breath, and turned to Sora.

¡°Don¡¯t think this is over!¡±

With that she disappeared into thin air, but Sora couldn¡¯t be bother to investigate: more pressing matters were at hand. Fio was pinned down by the creature as she tried desperately to reason with it.

¡°I¡¯m Fio! Remember? Your sister!¡±

The creature roared, and raised its claw for the final blow. Sora charged forward and knocked the creature off Fio, driving it into a nearby building with him. Shaking off sand and dust, it looked about itself, growling. Sora stood a few feet away, Looking at the creature, the visor lowered over Sora¡¯s eyes. The scientists back at the control room were typing furiously at their terminals.

¡°Program activated! Hypothetical feed at 5 gigabytes!¡±

Chikage looked at the screen.

¡°What is he thinking?¡±

All the missile pods on Seira opened, and Sora fired everything at the creature. Fio was shocked.

¡°Sora! Stop!¡±

Too late, all the missiles flew towards the creature. It would seem that it was doomed, but the visor on Sora had marked out each missile and he lifted his gatling guns. He fired, destroying the missiles at the last moment, sending thick black smoke everywhere. Seira¡¯s thrusters ignited and Sora flew forward. The creature, blinded, was unable to react as Sora punched it, sending it flying into another building. The creature roared in pain as it picked itself up from the wall. Sora appeared out of the smoke in the air. He came down on the creature with his gatling gun, but it disappeared in a blink of an eye.

¡°What?¡±

Sora turned round as the creature appeared behind him, ramming him through two buildings at one go, coming to a halt at the wall of the third. The creature jumped backwards, and crouched there looking as Seira fell to the ground. Sora couldn¡¯t move.

¡°The program has frozen subject¡¯s muscles!¡±

¡°Attempting manual shut down¡­ negative!¡±

¡°Wait¡­ movement detected!¡±

Chikage turned to the scientists.

¡°What?¡±

With tremendous effort Sora pushed himself off the ground with his left hand. It felt as if a ton had fallen onto him. Bit by bit he stood up. The visor indicated the creature, telling Sora that it was the enemy. The graphics blinked suddenly, and indicated something else was running towards him. It was Fio.

¡°Which is my enemy?¡±

Sora breathed hard, perspiration dotting his forehead. Just standing there was taking all of his energy. With a final roar, the creature jumped forward. Fio was running towards them from one side. She and the cyber angels watched as the creature pounced onto Sora.

¡°No!¡±

Two things happened then. One, the creature was thrown backwards. Two, an orb of light engulfed Sora and Fio. The computers monitoring Seira flickered and the graphic design of the suit changed. 

¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

The armour on Sora¡¯s body was suddenly covered by glowing red energy. Part of it shot out from his right arm, and the red shell shattered, revealing a long, wide blade. The rest of the red substance also shattered in a chain reaction. His armour had become more rounded, and was ruby red in colour with black trimmings. His helm had disappeared, but the visor was still present, with a reddish tint to it. Sora looked down at his arms.

¡°What happened?¡±

_What happened?_

That was Fio¡¯s voice, but it was in Sora¡¯s mind. Sora looked down at the blade on his right arm.

¡°What is this?¡±

_It seems we¡¯ve merged¡­ somehow. Look out!_

Just in the nick of time, Sora used the blade to block a surprise attack by the creature. It leapt backwards and growled at Sora as he readied himself. A newfound energy was surging through his body.

_Please don¡¯t hurt my sister._

Sora nodded, and the blade retracted itself into the armlet on his arm. The creature pounced again, but Sora caught its claws and knocked it with his head, sending it flying backwards. Not giving up, the creature attacked fiercely, but Sora managed to avoid all of the assaults. The other cyber angels were confused.

¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

There were noises behind , and they turned to find minions crawling out of the ground.

¡°Them again?¡±

They pulled out their weapons and hacked away at the minions, but they just keep coming.

¡°Why are there so many of them?¡±

Sora and the creature were fighting it out, and none of them seemed to be in the advantage. All of a sudden Sora grabbed the creature and flew into the air. His intercom still worked.

¡°Jen! Get out of there now!¡±

¡°No need to tell us twice!¡±

The cyber angels flew into the air and Sora threw the creature towards the mass of minions. The blade shot out of Sora¡¯s armlet with a metallic scratching sound and he pointed it at the creature. Energy gathered there and a thick beam shot out from the blade, slicing through the air and into the creature, followed by the minions. As the light subsided, all that was left of the road was nothing more than charred debris. All the minions were gone, and the creature lay in a crater motionless. Sora flew towards the creature and landed next to it. The creature glowed green and turned into a girl. Light encircled Sora and Fio separated from him. She bent down and helped the girl into a sitting position. The girl had her hand on her forehead, her facial expression showed discomfort. Her hair was lime green, and was about as long as Fio¡¯s hair, but not tied in a pony tail. Instead it fell freely down her back. Her skin was also slightly tan.

¡°Maya? Are you alright?¡±

The girl opened her eyelids, revealing a pair of ruby red eyes. She turned and looked at Fio surprised. She blinked.

¡°Fio? What happened?¡±

Fio smiled.

¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±

Jen and the others landed behind them. Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom.

¡°What is the situation down there?¡±

¡°All clear ma¡¯am.¡±

¡°Take off your helm Sora, just to be on the safe side.¡±

¡°Understood.¡±

Sora grasped the back of his helm and pulled it off in one clean motion. Maya tried to stand, but winced and her knees gave way. Sora caught her.

¡°Are you alright?¡±

Maya looked up into Sora¡¯s equally red eyes, mistaking the tired look on his face to be a look of concern. She blushed and looked away, smiling slightly.

¡°My legs¡­ they don¡¯t seem to work.¡±

Sora looked over at Fio.

¡°I don¡¯t think she can fly in this condition.¡±

Fio nodded.

¡°We¡¯ll have to find another way to get her out.¡±

Jen nodded and called Chikage.

¡°Ma¡¯am? Could you send down the hover ship?¡±

¡°It¡¯s on its way.¡±

Back in the facility, Rika was tending to an unconscious Chi. She winced slightly. Her abdomen still hurt from the blow from that creature.

¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡­¡±

Rika shot Duo a deadly look.

¡°I can look after myself.¡±

Duo lifted his hands in a gesture of defeat. He had some bandages over his left arm and some plasters on his face.

¡°I was just concerned, that¡¯s all.¡±

Chikage appeared on screen on the wall in the medical ward then.

¡°Duo. Get over to the airship. There¡¯re some people who need to be picked up.¡±

Rika turned to face Chikage.

¡°Are Jen and the others okay?¡±

¡°Yes, and another oracle is joining us.¡±

¡°Well¡­¡±

Duo headed for the door, hands behind his head.

¡°¡­guess I should be going.¡±

With that Rika watched him leave. Biting her lower lip, she returned to observing Chi after a while.

Duo got the ship, and in a few minutes he was down at the sector. He whistled when he saw the damage done.

¡°Sora and Fio did all this?¡±

¡°Yes.¡±

¡°Get on. We¡¯re leaving so that the cleanup crew can get to work.¡±

¡°Roger that.¡±

The cyber angels boarded the ship and placed their suits in the WNS bay at the bottom level of the craft. Jen turned at the door.

¡°Come on, So¡­¡±

His jaw dropped. Banks turned round and was equally surprised. Sora had just gotten out of his suit and looked at then quizzically.

¡°Hmm?¡±

Rio peered over Jen¡¯s shoulder, and blinked. Mei also took a look, her fox-like ears twitching.

¡°Is it me of does he look better in a uniform than Jen?¡±

¡°Definitely.¡±

Sora thought for a while before he realised what they were talking about. He face-faulted.

¡°Is it such a big deal?¡±

¡°Kawaii!¡±

Sora felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. Maya had jumped onto him. She was quite heavy, considering the fact that she still had on her armour. Also, the claws on her armlets were dangerously close to Sora¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t freak like the other did.

¡°Are you okay now?¡±

Maya cracked opened her eyes and blinked. Her face turned red slightly as Sora looked at her.

¡°Yes. Thank you for saving me.¡±

¡°Do you mind letting go?¡±

Maya smiled.

¡°Yes I mind.¡±

Jen and the others looked over at Fio for an explanation, but she just shrugged. Maya was the carefree sort of girl, very open with her feelings and emotions. After some persuasion Maya finally let go, and they headed for the bridge. Duo was manning the craft, but when he caught sight of Sora he nearly lost control.

¡°Seriously¡­ that¡¯s Sora?¡±

Sora rolled his eyes. There was a lounge below the bridge, and they spent their time there resting as the hover ship made its way towards the closest jump hole large enough to hold the ship¡¯s capacity. Maya finally got out of her suit, and was wearing a very wide-collared shirt and a short green skirt with a large bow tied round her waist at the back. She had another yellow bow tied round her collar and her metal bangle was hanging loosely from her right ankle. She nudged Fio slightly and whispered into her ear.

¡°How¡¯s Sora like?¡±

Fio blinked.

¡°Like? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

¡°You know¡­ his personality.¡±

¡°Well¡­¡± Fio looked at Sora, who was looking out of a nearby window into the sky. She would love to ask that question also.

¡°He¡¯s a mystery I suppose.¡±

¡°Really?¡±

Fio turned to find Maya smiling happily.

¡°That is so kawaii!¡±

Fio sweatdropped and smiled back slightly. This was the Maya she knew all too well.

Author¡¯s Ramble

FFC skitters across the keyboard, typing away. Sora is sitting on the chair as usual, but his expression showed confusion

Sora: I don¡¯t get it¡­

FFC: Neither do I.

Sweatdrops Sora: Okay¡­

FFC: I already told you I¡¯m still working on the storyline.

Sora: But¡­ what¡¯s the matrix?

FFC: A rip-off from the movie, but this time it¡¯s more like a new country. People can travel in and out of it through portals.

Sora: Oh. Then what¡¯s with GISB?

FFC: Again. Not yet settled with the finer details. It¡¯s an abbreviation for something else. By the way, your name isn¡¯t Sora Truehearted.

Sora: It isn¡¯t?

FFC: Nope. Truthfully you should be Pryce Rekees, an elemental wielding, neutral demi-god.

Sora, or Pryce: Huh?

FFC: My OC, remember?

Pryce: Oh. Hey. My name changed.

FFC: I told you.

Pryce: So I¡¯ll be keeping this name?

FFC: For now, yes. To the readers, ciao.


	5. Chapter 4

**=Chapter 4=**

Sora was back in school the next day. The first thing that he noticed was wrong was that everyone, and really everyone he passed dropped their voices to low whispers and started pointing at him. He chose to ignore this though it was blatantly in his face. When he stepped into the classroom, the noise immediately went dead for a few seconds before resuming, with most of the students distracted from their chatter by Sora¡¯s presence. Again, he chose to ignore this and headed for his seat. He was getting looks from everyone, particularly the girls. Ronald came up to him after a while, along with his gang. He was smiling from ear to ear.

¡°Not bad Sora. Didn¡¯t know you had it in you.¡±

Sora cocked an eyebrow.

¡°What?¡±

¡°This whole gig. Acting like some nerd and all, then bam, you get into the GISB. Now you got all the girls in the school on your tail. I take my hat off to you, Sora Truehearted.¡±

Sora sweatdropped, then looked down at his bag.

¡°It wasn¡¯t my choice in the first place.¡±

¡°Right¡­¡±

Sora pulled out a book just as the science teacher came in.

¡°Alright class. Take your seats!¡±

¡°Talk to you later.¡±

Everyone got in order, and the teacher looked towards the door, motioning someone to enter. Two girls did, and they were Fio and Maya.

¡°Two new students will be joining us for the year. I want all of you to be nice to them, especially the boys.¡±

All the male students were practically drooling, except Sora of course. Maya bounced on her heels as she introduced herself and Fio, her short skirt flying up dangerously close to revealing what she wore underneath, or the lack of it for that matter. Some of the more nerdy boys were having nosebleeds already.

¡°My name¡¯s Maya Oracle, and this is my sister Fio. We were transferred here from Post-America on a scholarship attachment. We¡¯re pleased to meet all of you.¡±

¡°We¡¯ll make you even more pleased if you just let us.¡± One random guy said, and the whole class burst into a hub of activities. Maya only stuck out her tongue in a cute fashion and winked at the guy who said that. Fio looked at her sister and smiled. The teacher managed to get everyone settled down after a while.

¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­ could the two of you take the seats next to Sora? Right at the back.¡±

There was a lot of muttering as the two girls headed up. Several boys tried to peek under Maya¡¯s skirt, but none of them succeeded. The other female students looked quite pissed at the boys for making such a commotion. The sisters took their seats next to Sora, with Maya sitting right next to him an Fio on her other side. Sora looked at them quizzically.

¡°What are you doing in school?¡±

¡°Miss. Chikage said that it was best that we stayed out of the matrix for the time being.¡± Fio answered.

¡°Then why don¡¯t you just stay at the facility?¡±

¡°That¡¯s boring¡­¡± whined Maya, but before Sora could get in any other word, the teacher coughed lightly, gaining everyone¡¯s attention.

¡°Even though we have new students joining us, that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not having the test today.¡±

There were groans from everyone.

¡°It¡¯s on the message board as usual. The two girls, just take it as a form of ability test. I need to see what are your standards.¡±

The two sisters were given their Navis in the morning, so they were able to retrieve the test. It was on genetic engineering and biology, but to put it short, it was hell. However, the teacher received three answer scripts five minutes into the test. All the teachers were used to having Sora hand in his scripts very early, but three?

¡°Right¡­ Sora, you may go. Maya and Fio, could the two of you stay a while for me to check through your scripts?¡±

There was some whisperings and mutterings among the rest of the class, but hushed up soon enough. Sora chose to wait for the two girls, and the teacher¡¯s eyes widened as she read through their scripts.

¡°Okay¡­ the two of you can go¡­ Sora, could you show them round the school campus? Thanks¡­¡±

She seemed very disturbed, so the three of them just left the class, but not before they heard the teacher mutter something.

¡°I need coffee¡­¡±

Once they got out of earshot range, Maya giggled as Fio smiled. Sora shook his head.

¡°I don¡¯t see the point of the two of you coming to school either.¡±

¡°It¡¯s fun to make the teachers go nuts!¡±

They weren¡¯t heading in any particular direction, but came to the cafeteria in the end, so they decided to get something to eat. Sora got a cup of coffee, Fio a ham and egg sandwich with a glass of orange juice, and Maya had a sundae, drenched in fudge. According to Fio, Maya loved anything with chocolate, especially ice cream.

¡°Her favourite is chocolate ice cream with hot fudged topped with chocolate coated almond nuts and chocolate chips with chocolate sticks.¡±

Maya went starry-eyed. ¡°Where? Where?¡±

Fio and Sora could not help but sweatdrop as Maya stood and looked around her. She sat back down disappointed when she found nothing, but happily returned to her sundae. Sora sighed, watching the digital clock on the clock count the seconds, using his hand to prop up his head. Fio quietly observed him, curious to know why he always seemed so¡­ distant.

¡°Do you have something on your mind?¡±

Fio jumped slightly when she realised Sora was talking to her. Maya looked up from her sundae and blinked, interested as to what was going to happen next.

¡°Well¡­ I¡­¡±

Fio blushed and looked away. Maya started to giggle.

¡°Your face is all red Fio!¡±

¡°Maya!¡± Fio tried her best to conceal her face. Her cheeks were burning in her hands.

¡°You shouldn¡¯t tease your sister that much¡­¡± Sora¡¯s voice strayed as he turned to look at his coffee. Why had he said that? Why? Was it a slip of the tongue? Yet, each word was defined and true. The control he had over his emotions wavered just so slightly.

Fio looked at Sora curiously. Maya also peered over while sucking her spoon. Silence reigned, then Maya stopped sucking the spoon and smiled.

¡°Okay!¡±

Again, Sora and Fio both sweatdropped as Maya finished the rest of her sundae.

¡°So where should we go now?¡± she asked, licking her lips. They only had that science lecture in the morning, but since they were done with the test, they were basically free to do anything now.

¡°Maybe we should go see Miss. Coronation. She did tell us to meet her after classes.¡±

Sora finished his coffee in one gulp and stood. Turning, he headed for the exit.

¡°Where¡¯re you going?¡±

¡°Bookstore.¡± With that he left the two girls and headed for the emporium.

As expected the place was empty. There was still an hour before lunch time. The automatic doors of the bookstore swished open and Sora stood at the doorway, looking around him. The place was empty. Even the cashier was nowhere to be seen. Sora walked over to the book shelf containing all the new arrivals and the doors slid shut. He traced his finger across the spines of the books and closed his eyes. The doors suddenly swished open again, and blood red pupils met with emerald green ones. At the doorway, a young bespectacled boy stood, smiling. Not even in his teens, the boy seemed to be consumed in an aura of darkness.

¡°Do not stand in our way again.¡±

Sora let his hand fall to his side as he turned to fully face the boy.

¡°And if I choose to do so?¡±

¡°You and the oracles will pay dearly. You efforts will only delay us. We alone are truly worthy of gracing this universe, not petty humans.¡±

¡°You speak for your kin yet present yourself in a human¡¯s form. Ironic.¡±

The boy chuckled, a sound which was unbefitting for a child.

¡°Though perhaps your eyes can comprehend the appearance of my true form, I am merely preserving my strength, for soon this world shall fall.¡±

¡°I¡¯ll be waiting then. When the time comes.¡±

¡°As you wish.¡±

Sora blinked, and the black head was gone. The cashier walked in from the door behind the counter then, munching on a burger.

¡°Oh hi. Didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡±

Sora looked over to the shelf next to him and reached out with a hand. Pulling out a thin book, silver letters were stylised onto a blue water-like surface: Oracle¡¯s Ring. Its author was anonymous. Sora raised the book and looked at the cashier.

¡°How much for this book?¡±

In the campus, Fio and Maya are sitting in front of Chikage¡¯s desk. The headmistress entered from the door.

¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was held up at the conference with the government officials this morning.¡±

¡°It¡¯s okay Miss. Coronation.¡±

Chikage took her seat behind the desk.

¡°So, I suspect you know why I called all of you here.¡±

The room fell silent as Chikage took a sip from her cup of tea. After a while Fio nodded.

¡°Yes, Miss. Corona-¡±

¡°Please, just call me Chikage.¡±

¡°Yes, Chikage. It¡¯s about how I could merge with Sora.¡±

Chikage nodded, ¡°Nothing has been found so far, but our theory is that the sixth sense program triggered a less used part of the brain, allowing the user to absorb data from the matrix.¡±

¡°So my bangle developed a link to the system, allowing me to merge with Sora?¡± Fio inquired, thinking over what Chikage had said.

¡°Possibly.¡±

¡°Then it can also be done on me too?¡± Maya asked.

Somewhere else in the city, at the local park, Sora was sitting on a bench, the book he bought open before him. From what the cashier had said, the book had only arrived just this morning. The strange thing was that there was only one copy of it, and no order was placed for such a thing. Sora scanned the pages carefully, not missing a single detail. True to its title, the book explained everything about the ring each oracle possessed, the oracles themselves, what were their strengths, their weaknesses, and even their personalities. To say the least, the book was very detailed when it boiled down to the system oracles, as if it was a through run down manual for them. Sora snapped the book shut and stood, catching a soft breeze as he did.

_-Flashback-_

_Thousands of soldiers crumpled to the floor, a mass of mutilated flesh and blood as the entire battalion fell. Standing amidst the foul stench of death was a boy, arms covered in blood, in each hand a handgun laid, carved with their names: Death and Rebirth. Death was a battered weapon, scarred and bruised from all the battles it had went through all these years, but the shaft remained a solid black colour, small, blood red engravings surrounding its name. Rebirth on the other hand lived up to its namesake, not a single scratch on its silver surface as its engravings glowed slightly with a white hue. These two weapons seemed an unlikely match, but they did their job. Well. The boy was breathing heavily, corners of his mouth curved upwards in a sadistic smile._

_The ground rumbled as tanks rolled into view, surrounding the boy. More soldiers gathered to fill the gaps in between them, forming a tight circle. A voice called from somewhere, and the tanks adjusted their turrets to aim at the boy. Another command was given, and they fired. The boy¡¯s pupils contracted as his smile widened to a grin. Powerful shells exploded around him, engulfing him in a thick blanket of smoke. Silence fell for mere seconds as a single bullet zipped out of the dust, slicing through a tank as if it was nothing. The turret flew off, seemingly hovering in midair as anticipation hung dangerously. Moments later, an explosion engulfed the tank, destroying it completely and taking anyone nearby. A blur shot out from the smoke, and soon gunfire and cries of pure pain echoed through the air as limbs were ripped and bodies torn._

_Silence hung in the air yet again. The deathly soundlessness was numbing. The boy looked about him, smile never leaving his face. Holstering his guns and bending down, he picked up a severed head, its expression contorted into one that of fear and shock. It was a pity most of them never knew what hit them. The boy broke into a maniacal laughter as his gripped tightened, and the head shattered, spilling forth brain juices and blood._

_-End Flashback-_

Carefree laughter caught Sora¡¯s attention as he turned to find several children playing in a nearby playground. Watching them for a few moments longer, Sora turned towards the exit and began to walk, wind catching his clothes.

Night soon fell on the city. In a dark room somewhere, the boy from before is standing in front of a large painting, depicting a detailed scene of a battle between two armies. Footsteps can be heard and soon, the woman known as rage appeared, the torches that lined the room throwing random shadows on her. Quickly she knelt down.

¡°Master¡­¡±

¡°Didn¡¯t I give specific orders not to attack the humans for the time being?¡± The boy cut in with an almost childish tone, but in it was an unnatural malice that made Rage shudder as she heard him.

¡°Yes, master.¡±

¡°Then why?¡±

¡°Because I can wait no longer! These humans are but trivial and we should get rid of them now!¡± Rage almost shouted.

Silence followed. Then, the boy turned round to look at Rage.

¡°Has it ever occurred to you that they have one of us on their side?¡±

Realization hit Rage.

¡°That boy? But how¡­?¡±

The boy smiled and raised his hand. Rage gasped as a force hit her, crushing her.

¡°M-master¡­ please¡­¡± Rage pleaded, trying to move as the invisible force continued to crush her. She reached out her hand towards the boy, choking on her own breath. The boy smiled and dropped his hand. Immediately the force lifted from Rage, and she dropped to the ground, panting.

¡°You¡¯re one of my best generals. It would be a pity if you are killed.¡± The boy said, smiling. Rage bowed her head, afraid to look into the boy¡¯s eyes, ¡°Go. You are dismissed.¡±

Clambering to her feet Rage quickly made her exit. The boy returned his gaze to the painting.

¡°What are you thinking of now, Pryce?¡± the boy said after awhile.

Outside, Rage had stepped out of the room and closed the door. Taking a few strides, a cool voice reached her ears.

¡°So master still hasn¡¯t gotten rid of you.¡±

¡°Shut up Kei!¡± Rage said, spinning round. A man was leaning against the wall next to the door. He wore a long trench coat, a shirt, a pair of long pants, a belt, and a pair of laced boots. His entire dress apparel was black, reflecting the colour of his hair. He looked up at the infuriated Rage, revealing a pair of blue eyes.

¡°Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Touchy, aren¡¯t we?¡±

¡°Have you got nothing better to do?¡± Rage shot back, clearly displeased.

¡°With our current situation, yes.¡± The man replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully, ¡°What was master thinking when he picked you to come down to earth?¡±

¡°You-¡±

¡°Both of you stop it.¡± Another person joined into the conversation. Walking down from the corridor was a massive man, orange hair neatly cut in army style. He wore a white shirt, sleeveless brown jacket, and a pair of jeans. His black pupils look disapprovingly between Rage and Kei, ¡°Both of you are acting like bickering children.¡±

¡°I totally agree, Wills,¡± a woman appeared behind the bulk of the towering man. She had short silvery white hair, and wore a dark blue Chinese dress with very high cuts on either sides, a golden dragon seemingly coiling round her on the fabric. She took one look at Rage with her yellow eyes, ¡°But I think a bickering couple is more appropriate¡­¡±

¡°Why you¡­¡± A ball of flames materialized in Rage¡¯s hand and she threw it at the woman, but Wills blocked it with his bare hand.

¡°Don¡¯t push your luck, Seran.¡± Wills said as he dusted his smoking hand, unhurt. The woman giggled.

¡°Oh alright, but my point still stands.¡±

Kei straightened and smiled, ¡°Say what you want. Tomorrow morning is the opening. Master wouldn¡¯t like us to be tardy, would he?¡±

¡°But of course.¡± A man floated up from the floor. All of his hair was braided back into a long ponytail. A piece of black cloth covered the bottom half of his face, leaving only his olive green eyes visible. He wore a baggy Chinese-styled green and red shirt with matching pants, a pair of black slippers sticking out at the bottom as he hovered slightly before touching firm ground, ¡°Master would hate to see you all late for the opening ceremony.¡±

Rage snorted and turned, ¡°I know, Kaiser.¡± With that she left. Kaiser snapped his fingers and the entire corridor plunged into darkness. One by one the others went their own ways, and silence fell.

Back to the Truehearted residence, Sora was sitting on the window sill watching the stars. Aeries walked in just then, drying her hands on her apron.

¡°Sora? Has that girl found a place to stay yet?¡±

Sora shrugged, causing Aeries to frown.

¡°Really¡­ you should be more responsible now. Was she involved in the accident also?¡± Aeries had been told Sora met with a car accident during his absence from home and was hospitalized, covering up what really happened.

¡°No. She wasn¡¯t.¡± Sora replied.

Sighing, Aeries went back to the kitchen, leaving Sora alone yet again in the living room. Sora looked down at his hands and gently touched his left wrist, seemingly recalling something from his memory. After a while he stood and headed to the bathroom to prepare for bed, yet it was a sleepless night as always for him. Staring up at the ceiling, his mind wandered to the two oracles he has met so far.

¡°This is nowhere near the end yet.¡± he muttered, and turned to the desk where the book he had found in the bookstore laid, it¡¯s cover shimmering with a bluish hue.

The next morning, a coach was waiting outside the school. As finally Sora¡¯s class piled in, it drove off, towards the heart of Labyrinth 2. Apparently a museum was holding its grand opening that day, and Sora¡¯s literature teacher had arranged for them to visit the place. The media was also covering the event as a woman stands in front of a camera, microphone in hand.

¡°Today is the opening ceremony of Labyrinth 2¡¯s national museum, where countless priceless artifacts and paintings will be showcased for all to see. Even the president has specially come down to witness its opening.¡±

The camera pans to a limo that had just pulled up in the driveway. Several men, clad in black suits, stepped out and held back the crowd that had gathered as an elderly man got out. The man raised his hand and waved, smiling as cameras flashed around him. Swiftly he was guided to a stage, where the staff of the museum stood waiting, among which were Rage, Kei, Seran, Wills, and Kaiser, dressed smartly in blue uniforms with golden trimmings and buttons.

The coach in which Sora and the class were on also arrived just then. Ronald sighed and placed his hands behind his head as he got off together with his group.

¡°Another boring field trip¡­¡±

¡°Alright class! Split into groups of three please.¡± Their teacher directed, ¡°We¡¯ll go in as soon as the doors are opened. I want each of you to do a review on any of the exhibition pieces of your choice and hand it up on Friday.¡±

Groans from the class ensued. Somehow or another Sora found himself grouped with Fio and her sister Maya. All this while the president had been giving a speech, and was now moving towards the flight of stairs that led to the doors of the museum where a red ribbon barred anyone from entering. A pair of large scissors were given to him and ceremonial he cut the ribbon, which was followed by a grand round of applause as everyone filtered in. Sora and the class also made their way in, and a grand hall awaited them as they entered. The place was massive, with roman pillars lining the walls and a thick carpet paving the way for visitors, marble leaking out on either sides of it. Sounds of awe emitted from the class as they took in the view.

¡°This place is big!¡± Maya remarked. Fio only looked around her, lost for words.

¡°Class!¡± Their teacher caught the class¡¯ attention, ¡°I want all of you back here by lunch time. Remember, assignment due Friday.¡±

The class immediately dispersed as the small groups chatted idly, stopping to view anything that caught their attention.

¡°Where to first?¡± Maya asked, looking around her.

¡°I suggest the painting section.¡±

The three of them turned to find a young bespectacled boy standing nearby, smiling at them. Sora immediately recognized him as the boy from before.

¡°Is there anything of interest there?¡± Fio asked, and the boy nodded.

¡°Yes. My name is Valdez Rison, the caretaker of this museum.¡±

¡°Eh¡­?¡± Maya exclaimed.

¡°The entire museum?¡± Fio asked, surprised also.

¡°You can say so. Come, I¡¯ll show you around.¡±

As they began to walk, the two girls introduced themselves.

¡°Fio and Maya? What nice names.¡± Valdez commented, smiling, ¡°who is that boy then?¡±

¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± Fio turned round, only to find Sora gone, ¡°Sora?¡±

As the two girls looked around them, trying to find Sora, Valdez smiled and disappeared in a blink, unknown to the girls.

Somewhere else, Sora was looking up at the massive painting in the room where Rage and Valdez had previously met, unlit torches lining the sides as light streamed in from full length windows. Light footsteps echoed through the silent room as Valdez walked up next to Sora, who did not move at all.

¡°It¡¯s ironic, don¡¯t you think?¡± Valdez asked, looking up at the painting also, ¡°How man fights with himself all the time.¡±

¡°Man is the most contradicting creature in this world, and they can be so petty at times.¡± Sora replied, causing Valdez to smile.

¡°I¡¯m going to offer you just this once. Join us, and you shall regain your former powers, perhaps even greater than that if you serve me well.¡±

Sora remained silent, and Valdez merely chuckled.

¡°I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten who you really are.¡±

Sora turned towards the boy and bowed, ¡°My name is Sora Truehearted. It¡¯s been a pleasure meeting you.¡± Valdez looked at Sora for a while before sighing. Turning around, the boy left, seemingly disappearing as he headed down the corridor nearby.

¡°Sora! Where have you been?¡± Fio and Maya came running in from the other side as Sora turned to look back up at the painting.

¡°I found the piece I want to review. Valdez was right in saying there were interesting pieces in the paintings section.¡±

¡°What?¡± Maya asked as she looked up at the painting also. Her face synched up in disgust, ¡°Gory¡­¡±

¡°It¡¯s all perspective.¡± Sora replied, walking to the side of the painting and taking a small pamphlet detailing the painting¡¯s origin, painter, and so on and so forth. Turning to leave, The two girls stopped examining the painting and hurried along to follow Sora.

¡°Are you really going to do a review on that painting?¡± Maya asked. Sora nodded as he put on his glasses and read through the pamphlet in his hands. A painting had caught Fio¡¯s attention also, and she had taken a pamphlet of it and was browsing through it. Maya looked between the two as they continued to read their pamphlets. She face-faulted.

¡°Both of you would really make a good couple¡­¡±

¡°Eh?¡± Fio looked up instantly, face crimson. Maya leaned forward, face taunting.

¡°Is there anything going on between the two of you?¡±

¡°N-no!¡± Fio exclaimed, covering her mouth when she realised she had shouted quite loudly. Maya pulled, back, shrugging.

¡°You¡¯re no fun¡­¡± She said in a dismayed tone. She then turned her attention towards Sora, ¡°Neh? Sora? Is there going on between you two?¡±

Fio also looked intently at Sora, wondering how he would react. However, he merely took off his glasses and smiled lightly, turning to walk down the corridor yet again. It was then that Fio realised it was the first time she had ever seen Sora smile before, and it had a calming effect, making her feel almost lighthearted. A soft blush rose in her cheeks.

¡°Sora¡­¡±

¡°Kawaii!¡± Fio turned to see her sister with both hands below her chin, starry-eyed. Fio sweatdropped and could only smile at Maya¡¯s hyperness.

Somewhere else, in the matrix, a plaza was also holding its own opening ceremony. People were thronging the complex, viewing the goods on display and also having early lunches at the cafes and restaurants located just nearby. The place was crowded, to say the least. All of a sudden, gunfire erupted, sending the crowds screaming and running for cover. A band of men, clad in army fatigues and carrying various weapons, had seemingly used the sewers to get into the plaza. The apparent leader of the group turned to face his men.

¡°Alright. I want the area secured. Take all hostages to the office building.¡±

The others saluted and set off quickly to complete their tasks. Their presence had set off the alarms, and the police headquarters had been notified. Another alarm went off in the GISB building, sending the staff to full alert.

¡°All pilots report to your WNS.¡± The speakers blared as personnel ran to their posts. The pilots clambered onto their suits as the armour clamped down on them, securing them as each WNS was loaded onto their allocated launch ships. Flashes of teal light lit the hanger as the ships disappeared into the pools of liquid. Jen and the other cyber angels also got into their suits, which were then loaded onto _Éclair_. Following a blur of flying colours, they arrived in the matrix.

¡°Apparently a group of terrorists have taken over the plaza and are holding at least fifty hostages. The police have already surrounded the place, but negotiations are stalemate.¡± Chikage said as she appeared on a screen above the controls.

¡°What are their demands?¡± Jen queried as everyone gathered.

¡°They want several people released from the International Prison. Apparently they¡¯re stragglers from different underground societies who decided to team up to get their leaders out of jail.¡±

¡°Why does this always happen?¡± Rio sighed. Chikage smiled.

¡°When the internet was converted to the matrix whereby people could enter and go from it as they please like any other place on the world, we humans created another plane for us to expand into almost limitlessly, but like the rest of Earth, you can¡¯t always ensure that there will not be any negative effects and influences. That¡¯s why people like us are here.¡±

¡°Guys, we¡¯re approaching the sector.¡± Duo said as he adjusted the ship to hover over the plaza. The fight was intense as the police exchanged fire with the terrorist group, the latter being at a point advantage as the plaza¡¯s defense system was under their control. The other launch ships were flying in around _Éclair_, dropping off the WNS within them like bombing runs.

¡°That should even the odds.¡± Rika remarked as the GISB troops aided the police. It was standard that each WNS be equipped with both a ranged and melee weapon, but the organization was not that hard on enforcing customization of the WNS. Each pilot had a suit which complemented their abilities, and there was freedom in choosing their suit¡¯s colour. However, in general, all the WNS can be divided roughly into several groups.

First, there is the assault battalion, which forms the backbone of the GISB Army. They were the most balanced of the troops, faring well in both melee and ranged combat. Normally the WNS of this battalion carried K-9 assault rifles, nicknamed by most military personnel as ¡°Hell Hounds¡±. These rapid firing rifles pump out slugs at a devastating rate of 100 rounds per minute, making up for its low accuracy from long range and less than average firepower compared to its military brother the K-8. The weight of the K-9 itself allows it to be a melee weapon as well. Without the cartridge, the rifle alone is a hefty 45lbs, but thanks to the WNS pilots can easily carry them and even swipe nearby opponents, resulting in a cleaving effect. Since no other melee weapon is required, the assault battalion of the GISB army is ideal for quick skirmishes and can efficiently take out opponents who underestimate their mobility and speed.

Secondly, is support battalion, or more commonly known as the ¡°Death Cross Brigadiers¡±. GISB thought it troublesome to have a part of its army specializing in only just field medical treatment, so they decided to turn to an alternative plan. Those in the battalion could hit a person dead center on the forehead a mile off, while hanging from a moving launch ship. Not only that, these pilots have also been detailed on basic suit repairs and first aid. Their weapon is also a work of art: a modified version of the S-19 sniper rifle, though not as powerful as the arctic warfare magnum rifle, the gas propelled weapon still packs a punch when used correctly, and can be compacted to allow easy mobility. Its scope is also well-equipped with heat sensors, night vision, and infrared, though pilots would prefer using the normal double scope to see what they actually hit. It has been joked that some of these WNS pilots can actually tend to the wounds of fallen comrades with one hand while conveniently lobbing off the heads of opponents with their sniper in the other. If they actually could, then truly god¡¯s finger has touched them.

Next, there is the demolition battalion. Their motto: ¡°If its big and evil a weapon, its worth using.¡± These band of pilots are the ones that abide by the rules set down by GISB most loosely. Their range of weaponry is varied and wide, and only the personality of the pilot seems to affect it. They are also the smallest battalion within the army. Nonetheless, they are the most powerful of the battalions, carrying the heaviest of firearms into battle, such as the bulky military-issued B-34 flak cannon, which dishes out a blanket of burning lead that¡¯ll rip through flesh like paper, and even the massive R-98 three-barreled rocket launchers, which, in short, hurts a lot. Even though their mobility is drastically reduced, their thick WNS carapaces are capable of enduring large amounts of damage. This, together with the fact that one swing of their weapons would certainly mean the doom of any unlucky soul caught in the way, makes them walking walls of destruction.

Lastly, the GISB of course has its cyber angels. They are the best of the best in the organization, often initiated to take care of special missions not within the capabilities of the other GISB troops. Their WNS are each specially crafted with accordance to its pilot¡¯s ability and preference, and are capable of sustaining major damage without a drawback in mobility or firepower. They are the elites of GISB, and now Sora Truehearted was one of them.

The cyber angels watched as the terrorists retreated into the mall, having been overwhelmed by the GISB troops and police combined.

¡°Looks like this mission is a wrap up.¡± Duo commented, ¡°it¡¯s just a matter of time before they give up.¡±

Sora looked at the ground around where the plaza stood and noticed several air vents. The place also looked recently dug out.

¡°What¡¯s underneath the plaza?¡± Sora asked, causing everyone to look at him.

¡°Huh?¡± Duo asked, puzzled. Jen frowned and looked more closely at the plaza, noticing what Sora had seen.

¡°Mei, scan the area underneath the plaza to a depth of 500 feet.¡±

¡°Scanning¡­¡± Mei¡¯s eyes lit up as light zipped passed them. Her hair seemed to be caught in an updraft of wind.

¡°100 feet¡­ plaza basement¡­ 20% metal, 5% soil, 75% air¡­ 200 feet¡­ plaza foundations¡­ 60% metal, 35% soil, 5% air¡­¡± Mei went on, but her eyes widened as she reached on to 500 feet, ¡°500 feet¡­ depot¡­ 70% metal, 0% soil, 30%air¡­ high energy reading also detected¡­¡±

¡°All units retreat! I repeat! All units fall back now!¡± Jen shouted through his intercom, but it was too late. A blinding flash of light engulfed the front doors as GISB troops pushed forward, followed by a single beam of pure energy which ripped through the ranks of the demolition battalion up front, causing serious damaged and throwing them backwards. Cries of pain echo through the air as the remaining troops dragged their fallen companions back, seeking temporary refuge behind anything they found.

¡°Damn!¡± Jen cursed as he turned towards his team, ¡°Alright! Suit up! We¡¯re going down!¡±

Saluting, the group hurried down to the hanger where their WNS were docked. 

¡°Wait!¡±

Jen stopped at the doorway and turned to look at Fio and Maya, who had remained where they were.

¡°We can fight.¡± Fio said.

¡°We¡¯ll help, if you allow us to.¡± Maya added. Jen pondered for a while before he nodded. What was the use of arguing with the guardians of the matrix anyway?

The ground shuddered as from the broken remains of the mall¡¯s front doors crumbled away, revealing four claw-like metallic legs. On top of the mechanism a large turret perched, its large barrel shooting out like an admonishing finger. The machine was dull green in colour, gears and joints shining a silver colour. It steadied itself, and energy began gathering at the nozzle of the turret. As the orb grew to its limit, the turret let loose another shot, aimed directly at the temporary barricade the GISB troops and police had made as they treated their wounded. Luckily Duo activated guardis¡¯ shields and Chi used her own powers to enforce it, weathering the attack, but the shot clearly left a mark as the shield crackled in protest.

¡°I can¡¯t hold that shield for long.¡± Duo said through gritted teeth. Chi was also struggling to maintain the force field she created. The cyber angels were hovering in mid-air over the scene. Fio and Maya were also there. Maya¡¯s armour was similar to Fio¡¯s but all the red areas were a dull green on her¡¯s, and she had a claw on either wrists.

A small screen appeared next to Jen. It was Chikage.

¡°It appears that the army was building a secret outpost underneath the plaza.¡±

¡°We figured. That a new toy of theirs?¡±

Several more screens appeared, detailing the blueprints of the machine and its properties.

¡°A mobile auto-cannon, or MAC for short. Researchers have been working on it for years now. It¡¯s canon is energy-based, and is capable of leveling a city block in a matter of seconds. Luckily though it¡¯s an artillery-class vehicle.¡±

¡°Roger.¡± Jen replied, opening a channel to the other cyber angels, ¡°Listen up, Rika, I need you and Rio to stay back and protect Duo and Chi. Sora, Fio and I will attract the machine¡¯s attention. Maya, Rio and Banks. The three of you attack it while it¡¯s distracted. Mei, find a weakness in that thing.¡±

Nodding, the team split into their respective groups. The MAC had begun charging its cannon again. The missile pods on Sora¡¯s seeker opened and a dozen missiles erupted from them, hurtling towards the MAC at breakneck speeds. They impacted, causing the unprepared machine to stagger backwards, energy dissipating. Before it could regain its ground, Jen pulled out raven¡¯s swords and did a cross slash, forming a X shape blade of wind which hit the MAC hard. Groaning in protest the gears of the machine stemmed themselves against the attacks, the turret swinging upwards towards where the cyber angels were, energy sparkling. Fio began charging her own blast also, and the two let loose a shot at the same time, impacting in midair, fazing the MAC.

¡°Now!¡± Jen shouted. Maya and gang rushed forward, weapons raised. Each of them struck the machine hard, sending it reeling and crashing into a nearby shop, windows shattering as the MAC finally came to a stop. Silence fell as the cyber angels landed. Chikage appeared on screen again.

¡°Good work¡­¡±

The MAC suddenly lurched. Legs curving backwards, they slammed against the ground, sending the MAC into the air. Spinning round, it landed right side up and small holes opened on either sides of the turret.

¡°Hedgehog?¡± Jen gasped. His suspicions were true as countless threads of bluish energy burst forth, forming a deadly web. The cyber angels took flight again, but the GISB troops and police didn¡¯t fare well as countless more were added to the injured list.

¡°Damn! You could have at least warned us about that.¡± Jen barked through the intercom.

¡°It seems that paperwork was held back, as always¡­¡± Chikage replied.

A part of the turret¡¯s top flipped over and a gun extended from it. Glowing with green energy a beam of teal light shot towards Sora, leaving behind a trail of blue particles.

¡°It has a rail gun?¡± Jen exclaimed.

Sora got away just in time, but the beam now was headed directly towards _Éclair_. 

¡°Defensive maneuvers!¡± Duo barked into his intercom. _Éclair_ got the message and its thrusters exploded in blue fury as it dodged the shot. Part of its wings opened, revealing six laser canons. Flying down towards the MAC, it opened fire, unleashing a volley of yellow energy. The assault was however negated by a force field and the MAC retaliated with a wave of its hedgehog lasers, forcing _Éclair _to evade them and fly back.

¡°An energy absorber too?¡± Duo cursed.

Fio turned to look at Sora, her meaning apparent. Sora¡¯s visor slid down over his eyes, but before he could even reach Fio, the MAC let loose a powerful array of lasers, forcing them even further apart. The others were also having a hard time evading the sudden attack. One grazed Maya on the shoulder, and the effect was spontaneous. As Maya winced, several more lasers hit her, causing the girl to shriek in pain.

¡°Maya!¡± Fio cried, but she could do nothing as the hedgehog lasers continued their relentless assault. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a blur shoot by, and realised instantly who it was. Thrusters to full, seeker skillfully evaded the lasers, almost as if performing a complicated dance. Maya was falling down, and from that height anyone was sure to be killed from the impact. As Sora reached out and caught Maya by the wrist, his visor flashed. Seconds later, an orb of light engulfed the two, temporarily blinding everyone.

¡°Is it possible?¡± Fio asked, squinting through the light as it slowly faded. Maya was nowhere in sight, but Sora¡¯s armour was covered with a green substance, which shattered moments later. Now he was wearing chest armour, a skin tight black suit covering the lower half of his body until the claves where armour clung. From his armlets a set of silver metal talons shot out, green energy creating blades. The armour was a dull green colour, with black trimmings. Sora¡¯s helm was gone, but a green visor was still present, green wing-like structures protruding out on either sides of it with a white streak running down it.

_Ite¡­ want happened¡­? Eh? Sora? W-what am I doing in you?_

¡°We merged, like I did with Fio.¡±

_Wow!_

Sora sweatdropped as Maya¡¯s excited voice resonated in his mind. There was no time to waste however, as the MAC let loose another volley of its hedgehog lasers. In a flash Sora disappeared, and one of the MAC¡¯s legs broke in two and exploded, causing the machine to topple. Sora was standing not far off, he himself also surprised at the speed of his moves.

_That was cool! You¡¯re really fast!_

Gears groaning in protest, the MAC tried to get up. Aiming its rail gun at Sora, it fired, but Sora was long gone, the shot from the rail gun leaving behind a crater on the ground where Sora had stood. Rebounding off a nearby pillar, Sora shot forward and with both claws sliced through the MAC, it¡¯s turret flying off and thundering to the ground as its remaining legs crumpled to the floor. As Sora straightened, part of the turret burst open and a man stumbled out, badly bruised. That did not stop him from breaking into a run towards the mall however. The cyber angels gave chase, but as they reached the remains of the mall¡¯s front doors, a cry pierced through the air, followed by a deafening silence. In the mall, limbs lay splattered everywhere, blood still oozing from the flesh. Some of the girls turned away while several of the boys swallowed hard. Sora looked up at the fountain in the middle of the mall. It was rich in blood, fountain spewing it like a flood. A woman floated above it, clad in a tight, dark blue Chinese dress.

¡°Well, well. So you finally turned up. I was so bored that I had to make do with these pitiful men. They were fun at first, but it just doesn¡¯t last, does it?¡± The woman said casually, smiling.

¡°You sick bitch!¡± Rio shouted, on the verge of puking as she covered her mouth.

¡°Watch your tongue, but ah¡­ where are my manners? My name is Seran. As you might already know the other girl from before is Rage.¡±

¡°No relations I hope.¡± Jen said dryly, drawing his blade. Seran eyed him lustfully.

¡°Oh¡­ aren¡¯t you a cute one? Maybe I¡¯ll have some fun with you first.¡±

Without warning Sora slammed both his claws into the ground. Sensing something amiss Seran leapt aside as the fountain exploded, stone flying everywhere as the blood sprayed outwards, flooding the ground. Seran landed gracefully on the railing of the second level and crossed her arms.

¡°My. My¡­ how impatient.¡±

Calmly Sora removed his claws from the ground, ¡°I didn¡¯t really like the fountain, that¡¯s all.¡±

Seran bowed her head and chuckled, ¡°Is that so? I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but duty calls.¡± She snapped her fingers and a low rumbling sound echoed through the deserted mall. The ground began cracking and all of a sudden a beast burst forth, landing on the floor with a thunderous sound as a crater formed. It looked roughly like a dog, but instead of front legs it had a pair of arms and claws. It¡¯s muscular body was nut brown, and patches of orange fur covered parts of its body. Four horns grew from its head, where two blazing red orbs for eyes were set on Sora.

¡°Perhaps next time, I¡¯ll fight you.¡± Seran said. She then blew a kiss at Jen and winked, ¡°I¡¯ll be having my eye on you, cutie.¡±

Jen gritted his teeth as Seran spun and disappeared into a purple cloud. As if on queue the beast before them roared and charged forward. The cyber angels evaded the attack, but the beast seemed to be concentrating its attack on Sora. Jen did his X technique again, but that didn¡¯t even faze the beast and it simply shrugged it off like it was nothing.

¡°Have you found a way to destroy the virus without harming the oracle?¡± Jen shouted over to Duo as Sora continued to dodge the beast¡¯s assault.

¡°We do have a prototype model, but there¡¯s a catch.¡±

¡°What?¡±

¡°It¡¯s equipped on the airship.¡± Rika answered.

¡°_Éclair_. For crying out loud will it hurt you to say it¡¯s name? Follow me now, E-C-L-A-I-R. Got it? It¡¯s-¡±

¡°Shut up!¡± Rika cut in before Duo could continue.

¡°This isn¡¯t the time to argue. Duo. Can you possible get the ship down here?¡±

¡°I can only guarantee one shot, and hell no I can¡¯t pilot it into this place!¡±

¡°Just call it down outside. You heard what they said right Sora?¡±

¡°Easier said than done.¡± was the reply as Sora continued to dodge. As he sidestepped an attack the beast suddenly jerked its head, slamming Sora with his horns. He could hear Maya shriek in pain inside of him.

_I can¡¯t take much more of this¡­_

Sora got up quickly, but the beast was already upon him. A claw came swiping upwards, tearing through Sora¡¯s chest armour like it was nothing. Maya¡¯s scream was cut short as light engulfed Sora. The two of them separated, landing on the ground not far apart. Maya was in clear pain, bruises all over her body as she curled up. Through her blurred vision, she can roughly make out the beast as it approach her, deliberately slow with its pace.

¡°Sis¡­ please.¡± Maya winced in pain, unable to even move. The beast¡¯s feral grin dripped with malice as it raised its hand. Energy began gathering, forming an orb of red light which slowly grew and hardened. A blazing meteorite hovered over the beast¡¯s hand soon after, and without hesitation it threw the massive rock at Maya. Leaving behind a trail of burnt air, the meteorite hurtled towards the defenseless girl. Maya screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable.

Or was it?

The meteorite exploded, sending a cloud of dust into the air. The other cyber angels could only stare shocked as Fio covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. However, as the dust settled, everyone gasped. Sora was standing in front of Maya, head bowed. On his arm the buster gatling cannon smoldered, reduced to nothing more than a lump of molten metal. A series of small explosions occurred at the binds that held the weapon onto Sora¡¯s arm, and it disengaged roughly, but the damage was done: the gun¡¯s shells had been melted from the intense heat and clung to Sora¡¯s arm now, red steam rising from the cocoon-like shape.

¡°He¡¯s bleeding¡­¡± Rika realised instantly, identifying the red vapour as evaporating blood. Sora appeared indifferent to it however, turning to fully face the beast. Maya looked up at his back.

¡°Sora¡­¡±

¡°Are you alright?¡±

¡°Y-yes.¡± A soft blush rose in Maya¡¯s cheeks. Without warning Seeker¡¯s thrusters shifted to full blast. The back draft caught Maya¡¯s hair as she stared after Sora.

¡°Sora¡­¡±

Before the beast could retaliate, Seeker rammed into it, driving it into a wall nearby. They were in a deadlock, trying to overpower each other with sheer might. The ground Sora stood on cracked and shuddered as he struggled to sturdy himself.

¡°Where¡¯s _Éclair_?¡± Sora said through the intercom calmly.

¡°J-just outside.¡± Duo replied, unnerved at Sora¡¯s calmness in the situation. Everyone was, except of course Fio and Maya. They understood, or at least they thought they did.

With a roar the beast¡¯s mouth erupted flames, throwing Sora backwards into an opposite shop. Window shattering, the place caved in, concrete collapsing onto Seeker. However, even before the dust settled, a blue flash of light illuminated the cracks in the pile and Seeker burst forth, slamming into the beast yet again and bringing it into the air, crashing through the glass panels that made the mall¡¯s ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye Sora spotted _Éclair_, and swung the beast towards it. The airship¡¯s top opened, revealing a satellite construct that sparkled with bluish energy before firing a solid beam of blue light. It made contact with the beast, seemingly dissipating off its back. Howling angrily, the beast trashed about, clawing Seeker wherever it could. The cyber angels had left the mall, Maya slightly being supported by Fio. Them, together with the unharmed GISB troops and police, looked on as blood sprayed freely from the penetrated WNS, but Sora paid no heed, mind focused on only one thing. Oracle.

The beast¡¯s attacks became distinctively less fierce moments later. Shaking madly, it howled one last time before being engulfed in a blinding light. As it slowly subsided, Sora was seen freefalling, a girl clutched in his arms. Seeker¡¯s thrusters sparked, but did not ignite. Warning signs appeared on Sora¡¯s visor, indicating that he was falling too fast.

¡°He¡¯s not going to make it! _Éclair_!¡± the airship responded to Duo¡¯s call, swooping down. Seeker hit the hard surface of the craft, but it was traveling too fast. Skidding like a rock over a pond, Sora rolled off _Éclair_. Even if the airship had broken his fall a bit, from this height anyone would still have a high chance of dying upon impact. Sora looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. Her medium length orange hair fluttered in the wind, along with red ribbons that held her hair in a ponytail on either sides of her head. She appeared to be only fifteen, face quaint as if in a pleasant dream. A brief memory flashed in Sora¡¯s mind.

_The room was dark, moonlight peeping in from a window nearby, illuminating two young children on a bed, sound asleep. A boy and a girl, holding each other, little smiles lighting their faces as they dreamed. Both had soft blue hair, the boy¡¯s was short, about a third the length of the girl¡¯s. Anyone could tell they were twins. A young man sits at the edge of the bed, watching the two as they slept. His hair was a dull purple, contrasting with his jet black eyes. The door creaked open._

_-Flashback-_

_¡°They¡¯re finally asleep?¡± A soft voice asked. A woman stepped into view. She had deep blue hair, eyes sparkling with a greyish hue. The young man turned to meet her eyes, before nodding his head. The woman sat down next to him, looking out of the window into the starry sky._

_¡°Thank you for looking after them.¡± She said after a moment of silence._

_¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± was the reply. The young man¡¯s voice was quiet, and had a sort of calming effect on the soul. The woman smiled lightly, eyes never leaving the window._

_¡°You¡¯re really leaving tomorrow?¡±_

_The young man bowed his head, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s about time I be on my way.¡±_

_A gentle__ warmth enveloped him as the woman hugged the young man from behind._

_¡°Just remember that we¡¯ll always be here for you, no matter what¡­¡± she whispered into his ear._

_A soft moan came from the boy. As the woman parted form the young man, the boy sat up and stretched, rubbing her eyes. They were the same as the woman¡¯s, a soft grey in colour. He noticed the two of them sitting at the edge of the bed._

_¡°Mom?__ Pryce?¡± the boy mumbled, rubbing his eyes yet again to make sure he wasn¡¯t seeing things, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±_

_¡°Hush, child.¡± The young man, Pryce, placed a hand on the boy¡¯s cheek and the other on his shoulder, ¡°We were just watching you two sleep.¡±_

_A slight blush rose in the half-awake boy, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything funny, did I?¡±_

_Pryce smiled, and shook his head, ¡°No, child, but you must rest. The day has been long.¡±_

_¡°Could you¡­ sing me a lullaby?¡± The boy asked, the redness on his cheeks rising._

_ ¡°Of course Pryce will sing you a song.¡± the woman said, lying the boy down and throwing the blanket over him and his sister. Pryce looked at the woman, who nodded and smiled. Sighing softly, Pryce got onto his knees and went up right next to the boy. Gently he brushed aside a stray hair from his face. He began to sing, a soft and soothing lullaby, yet a sad one also._

_¡°In my hands  
A legacy of memories  
I can hear you say my name  
I can almost see your smile  
Feel the warmth of your embrace  
But there is nothing but silence now  
Around the one I loved  
Is this our farewell?  
  
Sweet darling you worry too much, my child  
See the sadness in your eyes  
You are not alone in life  
Although you might think that you are  
  
Never thought  
This day would come so soon  
We had no time to say goodbye  
How can the world just carry on?  
I feel so lost when you are not at my sight  
But there's nothing but silence now  
Around the one I loved  
Is this our farewell?  
  
Sweet darling you worry too much, my child  
See the sadness in your eyes  
You are not alone in life  
Although you might think that you are  
  
_

_Never thought  
This day would come so soon  
We had no time to say goodbye  
How can the world just carry on?  
I feel so lost when you are not at my sight  
But there's nothing but silence now  
Around the one I loved  
Is this our farewell?  
  
_

_Sweet darling you worry too much, my child  
See the sadness in your eyes  
You are not alone in life  
Although you might think that you are_

_  
So sorry your world is tumbling down  
I will watch you through these nights  
Rest your head and go to sleep  
Because my child, this is not our farewell.  
This is not our¡­¡±  
(Our Farewell by Within Temptation)  
  
_

_Pryce stopped abruptly before the last word. The boy was sound asleep yet again. Biting his lower lip Pryce stood, aware that the woman¡¯s eyes were on his back._

_¡°Pryce, you could¡­¡±_

_¡°I must go.¡±_

_The next morning, Pryce was gone. Not a trace of his past presence could be found, as if he did not exist at all._

_-End Flashback-_

Finally, the thrusters burst alight, and Seeker jerked madly, scrapping the ground and escaping barely. However, the WNS was already battered and partially destroyed, some of the thrusters included. Flying awkwardly, Sora crashed into a pillar, sliding to the ground with the girl safe in his arms. The other cyber angels immediately rushed over.

¡°Sora! Are you alright?¡±

The remainder of Seeker detached itself from Sora¡¯s body, clanging to the floor noisily. The only thing he did was to push the girl into Jen¡¯s surprised arms, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Author¡¯s Ramble

Pryce: Let me get this straight, I¡¯m suppose to be a demi-god?

FFC: In my other story. Yes. I won¡¯t be publishing that anytime soon though.

Pryce: Why?

FFC: Cos the more I think of it, the more I feel like writing it into a *ahem*.

Sora: Oh.

A pair of hands suddenly catch FFC, and we see Maya glomping the chibi crab.

Maya: Kawaii!

FFC: Ack! Let go!

Sweatdrops Sora: What are you doing here?

Maya placed FFC down, who was currently in a state of shock and had swirls for eyes. She then proceeded to jump onto Sora¡¯s lap.

Maya: Neh. I was bored.

sweatdrop Sora: Umm¡­ okay¡­

FFC Who has recovered from his shocked state: No funny business here please. My mom just mopped the floor this morning.

Maya didn¡¯t seem to be listening, little hearts floating around her as she cuddled the still sweatdropping Sora. FFC¡¯s eye began to twitch, and Sora noticed this.

Sora: FFC?

FFC: BRO! I got a new playmate for you.

The six year old boy, whom we shall know from now on as Fujizk, appeared at the door.

Fujizk: Really? His eyes went all starry when he saw Maya. Goodie!

For a six year old, he surprisingly had the strength to pry Maya off Sora and dragged her off to his room next door. The door was slammed shut and locked. FFC was humming as if nothing happened, continuing to type on the laptop.

Swetdrops Sora: FFC? What just happened?

FFC: Like I said, a new playmate for Fujizk. Fio¡¯s probably in there also.

Sora: Doing what?

FFC: Playing on the playstation 2 dad bought. DUH. What were you thinking?

Sora: Oh.

FFC: I¡¯m not such a bad guy in the first place. To the readers. Ciao!


	6. Chapter 5

Author¡¯s ramble

Pryce is sitting on the chair. FFC is skittering across the keyboard

Pryce: Newbi says that you¡¯re making me overpowered¡­

FFC: I know, but he hasn¡¯t seen anything yet.

sweatdrops Pryce: Okay¡­

FFC: Anyways, switch ur encoding to Chinese Simplified (GB2123) to read this properly.

**Chapter 5**

¡°Third degree burns on the body, arms and legs, a severe dislocation of the right arm with fractures at several points, three broken ribs, partially damaged left cornea¡­¡±

The doctor droned on about his report as Chikage listened. Jen and the others were nearby, not even daring to look up. The atmosphere was grim, as if some curse just befell the group. Sora had been lying unconscious in the hospital ward ever since the battle.

¡°Will he pull through?¡± Chikage asked when the doctor finished his report.

¡°Currently he¡¯s holding out quite well, but there may be permanent damage to his left eye and right arm. I can only say as much as that.¡±

¡°Thank you.¡±

Nodding, the doctor left. Chikage turned to the others. Seeing their dead expressions, she sighed.

¡°Everyone, go back and get some rest.¡±

¡°How can we?¡± Duo, who was leaning against the wall, blurted out, ¡°Sora¡¯s in there struggling to survive and you want us to take it easy?¡±

¡°No. I¡¯m telling you to get some rest. It was hard on all of you today. I¡¯ll stay and watch over him. As soon as there¡¯s any change in his condition I¡¯ll inform all of you.¡±

¡°Excuse me, Chikage,¡± Maya stood, ¡°But we¡¯ll like to stay also.¡±

¡°I want to thank big brother for saving me. I¡¯m staying too.¡± The new system oracle, Eliza, said as she hopped off her seat.

¡°Please, Miss. Chikage.¡± Fio pleaded.

¡°Since the oracles are staying, we are too.¡± Jen added.

Chikage looked around her, and saw that no one had any real intention of leaving at all. Smiling slightly, she nodded.

_Is this the doing of a single person?_

Soft footsteps disturbed their melancholy as everyone turned to find Aeries standing there, slightly worried.

¡°Is Sora alright?¡±

¡°We¡¯re not sure as of yet, Mrs. Truehearted,¡± Chikage began, walking up to her, ¡°but the doctor says that he¡¯ll pull through.¡±

¡°Then he¡¯s okay¡­¡± Aeries sighed, relieved.

Fio stood all of a sudden and bowed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aeries. I couldn¡¯t protect your son.¡±

Aeries looked over at Fio, realising who she was instantly.

¡°You remind me of someone I knew in the past, Fio.¡±

Fio straightened and looked at Aeries curiously as the woman smiled, ¡°Very kind, and very beautiful also in soul and body¡­¡± Fio blushed, ¡°¡­ by any chance, are you a system oracle of the matrix?¡±

Everyone¡¯s hearts skipped a beat when they heard Aeries say that.

¡°How¡­?¡± Chikage began, but was at a loss for words.

¡°My father used to work for the second generation,¡± Aeries replied, smiling, ¡°and my husband was working on the second ¡®project oracle¡¯ for the third generation.¡±

Aeries spotted the oracles¡¯ confused expression.

¡°You may not remember me, but I used to teach all of you when you were first created.¡±

¡°Ano¡­ you were that teacher? I thought you looked much younger?¡±

¡°We age, Maya.¡± Aeries replied, causing the girl to blush at her mistake. Aeries then turned towards Chikage again.

¡°May I go in and see Sora?¡±

Chikage nodded, and led Aeries over to the door which lead to Sora¡¯s room. The said boy was heavily bandaged from head to foot, air being fed mechanically through his nose and mouth.

¡°I suppose we can¡¯t hide it from you anymore¡­¡± Chikage said as she turned, but surprised to find Aeries smiling softly.

¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Ever since I took him in I knew there was something special hidden deep within him.¡±

¡°He¡¯s not your natural son?¡±

Aeries shook her head, sadness in her eyes, ¡°No. I¡­ lost my son. All I have now is him.¡±

Quietly Aeries walked over and gently stroked Sora¡¯s face, planting a kiss on his forehead.

¡°Rest, for now, my child.¡± she whispered, ¡°There are some who still need you¡­ I need you¡­¡±

_¡°Kawaii!¡±___

_In a classroom, a young female teacher was showing a group of girls a satellite picture of earth. There were four girls in total, three of whom looked exactly like Fio, Maya and Eliza. The last girl had platinum black hair that reached just below her shoulders, eyes a graying hue similar to that of Fio¡¯s. She looked about a year older than Eliza. It was the first time these girls actually saw what earth was like, and instantly they were awed by the blue planet. The teacher smiled, brushing aside a strand of her chestnut brown hair._

_¡°Maya, sit down please.¡±_

_The said girl blushed and returned to her seat. Eliza looked at her teasingly, earning for herself a tongue stuck out at her._

_¡°Does the earth really look like that?¡± The girl with black hair asked. The teacher nodded._

_¡°Yes, Luna.__ This is how earth looks like from outer space.¡±_

_¡°Space?__ The vacuum of the universe?¡± Fio asked._

_¡°Yes?¡±_

_¡°Do any organisms exist anywhere else besides on earth?¡± Luna asked._

_¡°None has been found yet.¡±_

_¡°Is there any chance that something will be found in the future?¡±_

_¡°Perhaps¡­¡± the teacher looked at her watch, ¡°Looks like time is up¡­¡±_

_Groans from the girls ensued as the teacher smiled, ¡°Pack up. I¡¯ll continue with this tomorrow, but for now, Herald wants to see you.¡±_

_As the group left the room, they began to chat idly as they headed for the control room. The layout of the place looked almost similar to that of the GISB headquarters, if not the same. There was however workers moving around the place, doing digging works and extending the underground facility even deeper._

_¡°Neh?__ Where¡¯re the others?¡±_

_¡°Seta must be teaching them.¡±_

_¡°Eh? How come?¡±_

_¡°I heard that he had to go off this morning to attend to some matters.¡±_

_¡°What? So the others had the whole morning to themselves? That¡¯s no fair!¡±_

_They came to the control room through a half finished hanger. Workers and technicians were putting the place together, a rough holographic image of the city flickering before them as construction materials laid everywhere in a web of complicated cables and wires. A middle-aged man was sitting at the balcony, watching as the construction progressed. He had dark brown hair, and a pair of black eyes. A pair of spectacles was on the table in front of him. He looked up as the four girls entered. Calmly he put on the spectacles and stood, nodding toward them._

_¡°How are the classes proceeding?¡±_

_¡°We¡¯ve learned a lot so far, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Truehearted.¡±_

_¡°That¡¯s good to hear, but that is also the reason why I¡¯ve called you here.¡±_

_The man, whom presumably was Herald, pressed a concealed button on the table and a hidden compartment opened, a panel sliding out of it. On it were four silver bangles that were seemingly floating in midair, energy of different colour flowing through each of them. Between them were empty spaces where three other bangles once were. Each of the bangles held several engravings which were the girls¡¯ names._

_¡°We as humans can only teach you as much as our minds can handle, but there will always be more things to learn.¡±_

_The four girls looked at the bangles curiously as Herald walked towards the edge of the balcony._

_¡°We believe that you will learn more if you go on and experience them on your own.¡±_

_¡°Sir?¡±__ Fio asked, puzzled._

_¡°What are your objectives?¡±_

_¡°To protect the matrix.¡±__ Maya answered automatically._

_Herald nodded, ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll be letting you all go. We do not wish to control all of you so you will have freedom of choice, but your objective still stands.¡±_

_¡°How soon?¡±__ Maya asked. The sudden news was surprising._

_¡°As soon as your teachers feel that it is time. Those bangles¡­¡± Herald said, indicating the floating bangles, ¡°¡­ will be how you travel in the matrix. They consist of all the codes you will need to access all locations in the matrix. They will also be your weapons while fighting viruses and hackers.¡±_

_¡°Have the others already taken theirs?¡± Luna asked, examining her bangle. Green energy was coursing through it. Fio¡¯s was white, Maya¡¯s had yellow, and Eliza¡¯s was red._

_¡°Yes.¡±_

_¡°Will they be leaving?¡±_

_¡°Not yet. Seta still wants to teach them some things. Take your bangles. They will follow your orders as long as you will them to.¡±_

_Each of them took their bangles. Immediately the energies dissipated, and the bangles looked almost ordinary, but they were a lot heavier than they looked._

_¡°Use them well.¡± The girls looked up at Herald, whose back was facing them, ¡°You are dismissed.¡±_

_As the girls left, Herald sighed. He looked down at the railing of the balcony. Touching a spot, it flashed briefly as another compartment opened on the table. Turning, Herald eyed the silver handgun as it hovered in midair, white energy coursing through it. On it was a word engraved: Rebirth._

_¡°Sky, I hope you won¡¯t be angry with us for doing this¡­¡±_

_Pushing the panel down, Herald left the balcony, eyes hidden from view._

Before the school bell rang, Fio and Maya were already sitting at the back of class. Since Eliza was much younger, she was sent to the secondary school nearby instead.

¡°All the sectors seem fine.¡± Fio said as her bangle stopped glowing. The two were using their Navis to access the matrix. Maya had her head propped up against her left hand as she idly typed on her own Navi.

¡°I wonder how Sora is doing¡­¡±

¡°Miss. Chikage said that he¡¯ll be alright.¡± Fio replied. To be honest, she too was worried about the boy. Something about him just made her feel that way.

¡°Neh¡­ wasn¡¯t it strange to meet our teacher again? She¡¯s really grown a lot older.¡±

¡°Maya¡­¡±

Maya stuck out her tongue cheekily, ¡°It¡¯s true, but she¡¯s still as we remember her as.¡±

¡°Yes, but who was she talking about when she said that I reminded her of someone?¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

As the rest of the class finally filtered in, silence fell as the teacher arrived. The day dragged on for a seemingly longer time as classes came and went. Maya was long asleep from boredom, though the teachers did not seem to realise or even care if they did. Fio also became drowsy. Was this the doing of being outside the matrix? Fio asked, rubbing her eyes as she tried to stay awake. The two of them had been attending school for almost two weeks now, but still they could not get used to the long hours. Finally, the final bell rung for the day, and the dead class immediately became animate as everyone packed up, not even waiting for the teacher to signal that they could leave.

¡°Wake up, Maya.¡± Fio said, gently prodding her sister. Eyes fluttering, Maya pushed herself off the table, stretching as she did so.

¡°That was a nice nap¡­ is it time to go?¡±

Fio could not surprise her smile at her sister¡¯s actions. The two stood and headed out, towards the school entrance. There, they found Eliza already waiting for them.

¡°Eliza!¡± Maya shouted once she spotted the girl. Eliza returned it with a wave of her hand as she ran over.

¡°Lectures must be boring neh?¡± Eliza said as she slowed down to walk with the other two girls. She wore a blue and white summer school uniform, a yellow bow tied round her collar. As usual her orange hair was in two ponytails, eyes sparkling with a soft purple colour. Her silver bangle hung loosely from her left wrist.

¡°How was school toady for you then?¡± Fio asked.

¡°Boring¡­¡± both Eliza and Maya said, before bursting into fits of giggles. Fio sweatdropped. If only our other sister was here, then it¡¯ll really be a standup comedy, Fio thought. A black limo pulled up next to them and the window slid down, revealing Chikage.

¡°Hello girls.¡±

¡°Miss Chikage? Where are you off to?¡±

She opened the door, ¡°Hop in. The doctor says that Sora¡¯s come to.¡±

¡°Eh? Really?¡± Maya asked, surprised. They didn¡¯t need telling twice as they all got on. The limo purred to life and they were off towards the hospital.

¡°How is he doing?¡± Eliza asked.

¡°He¡¯s awake and perfectly fine, but there are still his right arm and left eye. He¡¯ll probably stay in bed for a week more or so.¡±

¡°Do the others know?¡±

¡°I¡¯ve sent people to go tell them, and I thought I might as well bring the three of you there myself.¡±

¡°Thank you.¡±

They arrived soon enough, and upon entering the ward, found the doctor standing just outside Sora¡¯s room speaking with a nurse.

¡°How is he?¡± Chikage asked as they neared.

¡°The operation was a total success. He¡¯ll make a full recovery in a month¡¯s time.¡±

Fio smiled relieved as both Maya and Eliza jumped up and cheered, attracting looks from other people around them.

¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± Chikage said quickly before ushering the three girls into Sora¡¯s room, a sweatdrop on her forehead. They found him sitting on the bed as they entered, looking out of the window with his head propped up with his left hand. His right arm was in a sling, and he was dressed in a simple sleeveless shirt and pants issued by the hospital. The bed¡¯s blanket was folded neatly on the table nearby, next to an empty food tray with a fork and spoon. Apparently he hadn¡¯t notice their entrance.

¡°Sora?¡±

He turned, revealing that his left eye was covered by a white pad held down by bandages, ¡°Miss. Chikage?¡±

¡°How are you feeling?¡±

¡°Alright I guess.¡±

¡°You should be getting some rest.¡±

¡°I¡¯ve slept for a week, two days, twenty-three hours, forty-seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds. I think that¡¯s enough rest for now at least.¡±

Chikage¡¯s jaw fell slightly, but she shook her head and sighed after a moment, ¡°You really are one of a kind, Sora.¡±

¡°Kawaii!¡±

Eliza jumped onto Sora, hugging him.

¡°D¨¦j¨¤ vu¡­¡± Sora mumbled, shifting his broken arm out of the way just in time before it got crushed again.

¡°Neh? Eliza! Sora¡¯s still injured!¡¯ Maya cried indignantly, a slight tone of jealousy apparent in her voice.

¡°Sora doesn¡¯t mind, do you? Big brother?¡± Eliza retorted, looking intently and innocently at Sora, who shook his head and gently pried her off with his good arm.

¡°Just don¡¯t do it too often.¡±

¡°By the way, this is Eliza.¡± Chikage said, indicating the girl that had jumped onto Sora.

Eliza nodded and smiled, ¡°Thank you for saving me, big brother.¡±

¡°It there¡¯s a person you should thank, it¡¯s your sister, Fio.¡± Fio turned red at the mention of her name, ¡°She¡¯s the driving force behind all this.¡±

¡°Really?¡± Eliza turned towards Fio, noting her flustered face, ¡°Eh? Why is your face all red?¡±

Fio turned away immediately, covering her burning cheeks with her hands, ¡°N-no¡­¡±

¡°What is going on between you two?¡± Maya pressed Fio yet again, causing the already embarrassed girl to turn an even darker shade of red.

¡°I hope we¡¯re not disturbing something.¡±

All turning to the door, the rest of the cyber angels were there. Duo lugged in a massive basket of foodstuff and other things and hauled it onto the table next to Sora.

¡°A gift from GISB. They got you a lot of stuff, except a get well card.¡±

¡°How are you doing?¡± Jen said as they came in. The room was quite crowded now considering that everyone had crammed in, including Banks.

¡°I¡¯ve felt better. Thanks for your concern.¡±

¡°Just don¡¯t do anything dumb out on the battlefield anymore.¡±

¡°Can¡¯t guarantee that.¡±

Jen sighed and shook his head as the others laughed.

¡°You are a queer man.¡± Banks commented, ¡°But it seems to suit you just fine.¡±

¡°Yes, I realised.¡± Sora then turned to Duo, ¡°How¡¯s seeker? I¡¯m sorry I wrecked it already.¡±

¡°Nah. Nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±

Rika snorted, ¡°You can¡¯t even hold a wrench properly in front of girls.¡±

¡°I resent that!¡±

¡°So?¡±

¡°Hey!¡±

As they continued to bicker, everyone sweatdropped. Eliza looked between the two of them, and a light bulb seemingly appeared on her forehead.

¡°Lovers¡¯ argument!¡± She shouted.

Everything went dead silent for a moment.

¡°What?¡± Rio asked.

¡°You know¡­ when a couple argues?¡±

Duo and Rika looked at each other, blinked, and blushed, ¡°NO!¡±

¡°The why are you two blushing?¡±

¡°Eliza¡­¡± Fio reprimanded, receiving a cheeky smile as the young girl went over and took Mei and Chi by their hands.

¡°Neh, let¡¯s go outside and play!¡±

¡°Okay!¡± The three left to probably do some mischief. Maya followed also, not wanting to miss out on the fun. Rika and Duo were still uncomfortable, and were distancing themselves, each one at one side of the room. Chikage sighed.

¡°Sometimes I feel that this job is more of babysitting¡­¡±

¡°I agree.¡± Jen added, ¡°but anyhow, we hope you recover soon, Sora.¡±

¡°Thanks, Jen.¡±

Just then, a nurse appeared at the door.

¡°Excuse me, but visiting hours will be over soon. Our patients need their rest.¡±

Chikage nodded towards the nurse, who left. Looking at the others, they got the message and began filtering out.

¡°Recover soon, okay?¡± Duo gave Sora the thumbs up and left. Rika was already long gone. The others also followed, and as Chikage turned towards the room one last time at the door, all that was left was Fio.

¡°Fio, it¡¯s time to go.¡±

Fio had been in a world of her own all this time, but seem to come out of it just then. She bowed towards Sora.

¡°Thank you.¡±

With that, she followed Chikage out. Sora took in a deep breath and turned towards the window yet again. A mockingbird was signing its song in the nearby tree as it wavered in the breeze, leaves rustling, awash with the afternoon sun. Sora lied down and stared up at the ceiling. Silence reigned.

¡°It looks familiar¡­¡±

As the days went by, Sora began recovering from his injuries, and returned to school two weeks later. Chikage informed Sora that Aeries knew about his current situation, but that didn¡¯t seem to bother him at all, only nodding quietly in acknowledgment. His arm was still immobilized by a cast, but anyhow the class cheered for his comeback and of course Maya jumped him. A week passed after that and his arm was free, but extremely sore. Hence, whenever he had time to spare Sora would be in the gym at GISB headquarters working out, and that meant Sora practically took up residence there. Sometimes the other boys joined him, but no one could really keep up.

Currently, both Jen and Duo were watching as Sora did bench presses with two full sets of weights. Banks was standing nearby, staring off into space, deep in thought.

¡°97... 98... 99... 100. Alright Sora, we get the idea. Stop showing off.¡±

With a metallic clang Sora placed the weights back in place, the stand groaning under the weight. He sat up, sweat beads matting his forehead and body. Sora took in a deep breath and sighed.

¡°My arm¡¯s really deteriorated¡­¡±

Jen and Duo exchanged incredulous looks.

¡°Right¡­ and the weights are real light¡­ yeah¡­¡± Duo said dryly, rolling his eyes. Sora stood as Jen threw him a towel.

¡°You shouldn¡¯t overexert yourself.¡± Jen said as Sora rubbed himself with the towel.

¡°I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t worry Jen, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

¡°There you are¡­¡±

Banks came back from his own little world and turned to the door with everyone else, finding Rio standing there. The girl smiled cheerily.

¡°Hi guys. Could I borrow Banks? It¡¯s our turn for sentry duty.¡±

¡°Sentry duty?¡± Sora looked over at Jen for an explanation.

¡°We¡¯re tightening security in the matrix. Chikage decided that the cyber angels should be on alert 24 hours everyday, so we have to do periodical patrols.¡±

¡°Of the whole matrix?¡±

Duo nodded and grinned, ¡°That¡¯s why we have _Éclair_. A patrol takes six hours or so to complete in my baby.¡±

¡°The patrols are conducted in pairs, so we take turns to do it.¡±

¡°Am I suppose to be involved in this?¡± Sora inquired.

¡°Chikage says that you should recuperate for now. Sentry duty for you will be on hold.¡±

¡°I see.¡±

Banks and Rio left after saying their farewells. Duo followed soon after, saying that he had to go to the hanger. Jen smiled as he watched as Sora continued with his work out. It was then that he recalled something.

¡°Oh, Sora.¡± The said person turned and caught a key thrown by Jen.

¡°What is this?¡± Sora asked, looking at the silver key attached to a key chain with a strip of paper with ¡®Room 15¡¯ scrawled on it.

¡°There are seven oracles in the matrix, but CAM has eight spare rooms. Chikage wanted me to ask you whether you would like the extra room.¡±

Cyber Angels¡¯ Mansion, or CAM for short, was where the cyber angels called their home. Of course they already had other residences elsewhere, but it was necessary that the team was easily reachable at any given time, so a central residence was built for them. It¡¯s listed as a privately owned estate by Chikage Coronation, but practically everyone knew who lived within the compounds. It was huge, made with Romanian features such as thick pillars and intricate designs above the main entrance. The yard was more like a soccer field, and in its center an elaborate fountain display greeted anyone that entered through the beautifully crafted iron gates. Trees lined the boundaries of the estate, various flowers blooming in patches across the grassy landscape. Though this grand, what the place lacked was servants, save a few gardeners and cleaners who came periodically to tidy up the place. That didn¡¯t bother the cyber angels however, because doing chores on their own was much better than relying on others too much. The place was also located in a strategic location, near the GISB HQ and various prominent schools, of which included the one Sora was currently attending.

¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Aeries.¡±

¡°Chikage said that she¡¯s taken care of that. All she needs is your approval.¡±

¡°How soon can I move in?¡±

¡°Now. Chikage felt that you wouldn¡¯t turn the offer down so had someone go over to collect your things. Will it be alright with you that Aeries did your packing?¡±

Sora nodded his head, feeling the key in between his fingers.

¡°Want me to give you a lift there? I¡¯m going back in a while. You can take a shower and change while I go settle some things.¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

¡°Great. Meet me in the car park once you¡¯re done.¡±

As said Sora had a shower and changed, feeling slightly refreshed afterwards. Even if HQ was a confusing labyrinth of corridors, Sora found the car park easily enough. It did not take long for Jen to arrive.

¡°All set?¡± Jen pressed a button on his key and a car roared to life, purring to their front. It was a sleek, black sports car, complete with spoilers.

¡°Company car?¡± Sora asked, bemused.

¡°One of them. Hop on.¡±

The journey didn¡¯t take too long, and soon they were at CAM. Parking his car in the garage, both guys got off. Sora looked at the range of vehicles that were housed in the warehouse like building, cocking an eyebrow as he did so.

¡°GISB splurges on the cyber angels?¡±

¡°Chikage¡¯s father owned this place. He was a man who collected many things, cars included, though the newer additions came out of my paycheck.¡±

¡°I see.¡±

Leading the way, Jen took Sora to the main living room. It was very spacious, various weapons and stuffed animal heads decorating the walls, floor carpeted with a deep red fabric. A pool table was located at one corner, a rack of pool sticks and a glass case holding several sets of 12-balls next to it. An unlit fireplace was on one side, surrounded by several sofas and armchairs. Sunlight streamed in from full length windows on one side of the living room, a porch visible on the outside, dotted with tables and chairs. Various corridors extended from the room. Two of them led to stairs which went up to the other levels where the cyber angels¡¯ private rooms were. One went past the kitchen to the dining area, while another led to the library. The last one was where the two had come from, the garage. Rika was in a armchair next to the fireplace reading a book. Jen called out to her as they neared.

¡°Hey, Rika.¡±

Sora was vaguely reminded of Chikage as Rika looked up. She had her hair held up at the back of her head in a bun, shorter locks of her hair on either sides of her face. She was also wearing a pair of spectacles, making her look like some office lady.

¡°Hey.¡± She said, catching sight of Jen and Sora.

¡°Why the specs mode?¡±

Rika pouted, ¡°What¡¯s with using that term? It sounds awful.¡±

¡°Because Duo started it?¡±

¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you have to follow it. I just got back from sentry duty, and that jerk just had to shoot off some snide remark in my face.¡± Rika snapped. Jen raised his hands slightly as a sign of peace, sweatdropping. Sora wondered whether this was what Duo meant when he said he had things to do in the hanger.

¡°Anyway,¡± Rika said, changing the subject, ¡°So Sora¡¯s staying here from now on?¡±

¡°I guess so.¡± Jen turned to Sora, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you to your room.¡±

Nodding, Sora followed the older man up one of the corridors and up two flights of stairs to the third floor, where there were eight doors, four on either sides, each made from a deep brown oak. Going down the corridor, the two stopped in front of a room with the number ¡®15¡¯ engraved on it with gold paint.

¡°Well, here it is. Go ahead and open it.¡±

Fishing out the key from his pocket Sora unlocked the door and was greeted with a spacious room. A sizable bed was located on one side, a desk next to it with several shelves built into it. A chest of drawers, a bookshelf, and a closet stood on the opposite side, next to a door that led to a fully-equipped bathroom, complete with bath tub. The window doors to the porch were open, letting in a soft breeze that caught the white curtains.

¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t the first ones here.¡± Jen said, looking at the two trunks at the foot of the bed. Sora walked over and opened one, finding all his things packed neatly inside.

¡°I let you unpack in peace then. See you.¡± With that Jen left, the door quietly clicking shut. Sora began to sort out his things one by one. The other trunk held all his books, so he just organized them into the bookshelf, placing those he hasn¡¯t read into the shelves on the desk. Other than books Sora had very little possessions, clothes included. Hangers had been provided in the closet, and they were more than enough for his clothing, along with one drawer. He had no use for the rest of the drawers, so left them alone. All school things he had them at the side of his desk, the drawer there keeping anything else Sora had use for. Surprisingly Sora had a collection of small trinkets, most of which were crabs in various poses or actions. Aeries was the one behind that, but Sora has also grown attached to them for some reason. In a short while they were all on top of the shelves of his desk, arranged in a neat manner around a clock Aeries had also packed for him. More or less he was done, but looking at the trunk Sora spotted something. Reaching down, he took out a black box, placing it on his lap as he looked at it. Running his finger down its surface, Sora felt the smoothness of the lacquered wood, hardly scratched even after all this years. He opened it, revealing a small framed picture. Picking it up, Sora examined it. In the picture, were two young children, one boy and one girl. They both had the same blue hair and silvery white eyes, each hugging a young man who was kneeling down. His hair was raven, eyes a teal colour. Behind him stood a woman with deep blue hair, eyes a playful grey. All of them were smiling for the camera, but the young man¡¯s seemed more constrained. Sora looked down at the box. The picture had been lying on a faded leather book, golden symbols marking its cover. Touching it, a sense of nostalgia filled Sora as he closed his eyes.

¡°Miriam¡­¡±

Night soon fell, and a wonderful aroma wafted through the air.

¡°Neh! You¡¯re a really good cook Fio!¡±

The dining area was also a spacious place, though smaller compared to the living room. Round tables surrounded a main, long and rectangular table, with all the chairs cushioned and having high backs. Maya, Eliza, Fio, Chi, Mei, and Rika were all there, savoring Fio¡¯s cooking. The oracle had prepared countless dishes, all of which looked appetizing and tasted wonderful.

The said girl blushed crimson, fidgeting with the ladle in her hands. She was wearing a pink apron with flowery designs on its front.

¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±

¡°We love it!¡± Rika corrected, helping herself with the food. The others all nodded in agreement.

¡°By the way, where did you learn how to cook?¡± Chi asked.

¡°Miss. Truehearted taught me.¡±

¡°Miss. Truehearted? Oh, you mean Aeries?¡±

Fio nodded in reply to Mei¡¯s question. It was then that Maya realised something.

¡°Wait¡­ if that is the Aeries we knew last time, then doesn¡¯t that mean Sora is¡­¡± Maya let her last words hang. Fio and Eliza realised what she was getting at.

¡°Malcolm?¡± The three girls said in unison, earning them confused looks from the others.

¡°Who?¡±

Just then Sora came in, having been attracted by the food¡¯s smell. Everyone turned to look at him.

¡°Sora? What are you doing here?¡± Fio asked, blushing slightly.

¡°Chikage let me move here.¡±

¡°Neh? Which room are you in?¡± Eliza asked eagerly.

¡°15.¡± Both Eliza and Maya shot Fio death glares who turned bright red and bowed her head, hiding her eyes. Sora sweatdropped along with the others.

¡°FIO! You knew, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya shouted, standing. Eliza was staring daggers at Fio.

¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­ I just took the key randomly¡­¡± Fio stuttered, shrinking into the corner.

¡°Hey guys¡­ I thought I smelled some food¡­¡± Jen appeared at the door to find the scene. He cocked an eyebrow, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

¡°Fio got room 14.¡± Maya pouted, sitting down.

¡°Don¡¯t you dare think of doing anything funny to big brother!¡± Eliza warned.

¡°I-I won¡¯t!¡± Fio retorted, blushing so deeply it looked like purple. Jen was close to laughter as he turned to look at Sora.

¡°Must be nice having all these girls after you. Eh? Sora?¡±

Now all three girls were red, ending the argument as fast as it had initially started. Sora rolled his eyes and took his seat at the table. Jen also joined in, and after a moment of awkwardness everyone soon forgot about what had just happened and began digging in to Fio¡¯s cooking.

¡°You are an excellent cook, Miss. Fio.¡± Jen commented, smiling lightly at the girl, who blushed at the compliment.

¡°Chikage won¡¯t be happy that you¡¯re flirting with someone else¡­¡± Rika warned, grinning cheekily. Jen merely chuckled and returned to his plate. Idle chatter came and went as the plates were cleaned of food. Having eaten their full, everyone went their own separate ways as Fio began clearing the dishes. She did not realise that Sora had been standing nearby watching her all this while.

¡°Need any help?¡±

¡°Oh!¡± Fio dropped the plates she was carrying, but Sora caught them in time. The oracle blushed slightly, ¡°T-thank you.¡±

Sora nodded, carrying the dishes into the kitchen. Fio quickly followed with the rest. All was silent as they began washing the plates and utensils. Sometimes Fio would steal a peak at Sora, but he remained silent and impassive all this while. They finished cleaning all the dishes soon enough.

¡°Thank you for helping.¡± Fio said, bowing towards Sora as they left the kitchen. Sora nodded in acknowledgement and left for his room. Somehow, Fio felt dismayed that nothing interesting happen.

¡°W-what? What am I thinking of?¡± Fio blushed, covering her burning cheeks with her hands. Yet, there was still the feeling in her heart, and she couldn¡¯t deny that.

Meanwhile, an odd feeling suddenly made its presence felt as Sora stopped midway in his pace, turning slightly to look down the stairs where he had come from. It was a familiar sensation, gently tickling his senses.

¡°I still haven¡¯t forgotten¡­¡± Sora muttered as he resumed his way back to his room. Sitting down at the desk, Sora took his bag and opened it. His school work had been piling up over the weeks, and even though the teachers didn¡¯t really mind if he did it or not, Sora wasn¡¯t planning to ignore it.

It kept his mind off others things anyway.

Back in GISB, Herald was sitting at his desk, fingers crossed in front of his face as the light reflecting off his glasses hid his eyes. Chikage was standing at attention in front of him.

¡°It seems much has happened during my absence.¡±

¡°The paperwork has been taken care of, Mr. Gale.¡±

¡°I see. Report.¡±

¡°With the previous incident, it can be proved that the army has indeed begun operations within the matrix itself, but they are denying this and blaming the terrorists for illegal weapons shipping. Information regarding the depot underneath the plaza has been kept under wraps.¡±

¡°What of the MAC?¡±

¡°The machine was salvaged and is currently being repaired by guardis pilot Duo Maxwell and his team of mechanics.¡±

¡°I presume that the army knows nothing of this?¡±

¡°Yes, sir.¡±

Herald smiled, ¡°Good work, commander.¡±

¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

Herald¡®s face grew solemn again, ¡°It has come to my attention that there are a few oracles being housed in CAM.¡±

¡°That is correct, sir.¡±

¡°From the message you sent me, you believe that an organization is behind the virus infection of the oracles?¡±

¡°Yes. Two members from that group have already shown themselves.¡±

¡°Are they human?¡±

¡°Yes, and no, sir.¡±

¡°What?¡±

¡°Scans have shown that these two individuals¡¯ genetic buildup is constantly altering itself. Our top scientists are still trying to decipher what they are.¡±

¡°So a new threat has arose in the matrix?¡±

¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±

Herald frowned, showing just how old he really was, ¡°We will have to contain the problem as soon as possible, for the protection and safety of all those that use the matrix.¡±

¡°Understood sir.¡±

¡°Dismissed.¡±

Chikage saluted and turned to leave, but Herald recalled something just then.

¡°Commander, in your message to me you also mentioned a new recruit to the cyber angels.¡±

¡°Yes, sir.¡± Chikage turned back to face Herald, ¡°Would you like me to send him over tomorrow morning to meet you?¡±

¡°No. It¡¯s alright. You may leave now.¡±

As the door slid shut, Herald leaned back against his chair and sighed.

¡°In the end, you¡¯re still dragged back into this mess¡­¡±

Back at CAM, Sora was still awake, typing on his navi. The clock showed that it was already eleven, but the glow from the navi¡¯s screen illuminated Sora¡¯s alert face, indicating that sleep was nowhere near. The door creaked open just then, and Sora turned to find Eliza dressed in yellow pajamas. In her hands she carried a teddy bear.

¡°Isn¡¯t it past your bed time already?¡± Sora asked, standing and walking over.

¡°Neh, I was worried Fio might pull off something.¡± Eliza blushed slightly as Sora knelt down to see her face-to-face. He patted her head.

¡°It¡¯s okay. I can deal with her if she tries anything, or were you planning something yourself?¡±

Eliza was caught off guard and stuttered, blushing, ¡°U-umm¡­¡±

She turned away embarrassed as Sora stood, examining the young girl.

¡°Why don¡¯t I bring you back to your room and sing you a song?¡± Sora said after a while. Eliza¡¯s face brightened.

¡°Really? Thank you!¡±

As they walked, Eliza had took Sora¡¯s hand, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. They came to the door which was marked with the number ¡®8¡¯. The room was more or less like Sora¡¯s, but there were a lot of soft toys dominating part of the room, most of which were all kinds of stuffed bears. The curtains, bed sheets, and pillows were also imprinted with bear designs.

¡°You have a nice room, Eliza.¡± Sora said, looking around. Eliza blushed and hugged her teddy tighter, trying to fight down the jitters she was experiencing.

¡°Big brother likes to flatter other people.¡± Eliza pouted. Sora merely looked down at her. In a flash Eliza found herself swept off her feet, cradled in Sora¡¯s arms.

¡°B-big brother?¡± Eliza blushed at how close their faces were. She really turned bright red when Sora flashed one of his rare smiles as he carried her over to her bed. Gently placing her down, Sora covered Eliza with the blanket and sat down on the edge of the bed.

¡°Close your eyes.¡± Eliza obediently followed, shutting her eyes. Sora watched her for a moment before closing his own eyes. Taking in a deep breath, he began his song as memories flashed by his mind.

¡°In my hands

A legacy of memories

I can hear you say my name

I can almost see your smile

Feel the warmth of your embrace

But there is nothing but silence now

Around the one I loved

Is this our farewell?¡±

_The silhouette of a figure jumps from roof to roof as the moon watches on from above. A young man was chasing it from below, his black coat swishing behind him as wind streaked through his raven hair. A black handgun gleamed in his hand._

  
¡°Sweet darling you worry too much, my child

See the sadness in your eyes.

You are not alone in life

Although you might think that you are.¡±

_The silhouette disappears, and the man leaps right up onto the roof of the building closest to him, landing with his metal-tipped boots softly clicking on the concrete. He stood and looked around him, teal eyes wary._

  
¡°Never thought

This day would come so soon

We had no time to say goodbye

How can the world just carry on?

I feel so lost when you are not at my sight

But there's nothing but silence now

Around the one I loved

Is this our farewell?¡±

_Rafters clattered as the young man turned to find the figure he had been chasing in midair, bearing down on him with fist raised. The young man dodged the attack and issued a punch directed at the figure¡¯s stomach, sending him flying backwards._

¡°Sweet darling you worry too much, my child

See the sadness in your eyes.

You are not alone in life

Although you might think that you are.¡±

_The figure pushed himself off the ground into a crouching position. As he looked up, he found himself at point blank range of a black nozzle. He stared hatefully at the young man, gripping the silver handgun in his hand even tighter._

¡°Never thought

This day would come so soon

We had no time to say goodbye

How can the world just carry on?

I feel so lost when you are not at my sight

But there's nothing but silence now

Around the one I loved

Is this our farewell?¡±

_A wind passed them, catching each of their coats and hair. Surprisingly they looked alike, save that in place of raven hair and teal eyes the other had a crown of liquid blue hair and grey eyes. That same person also wore a set of complete white clothes similar in design the other wore in black. The black handgun¡¯s shaft read Death, the silver, Rebirth._

¡°Sweet darling you worry too much, my child

See the sadness in your eyes.

You are not alone in life

Although you might think that you are.¡±

_¡°Do it then. Do it like the puppet you are to them!¡± The young man clad in white spat. The young man remained still, gun at the ready._

_¡°I am no one¡¯s puppet. I came of my own accord to save you.¡±_

_The young man clad in white faltered, eyes tearing, ¡°There¡¯s only one way left to do that¡­¡± a single tear rolled down his cheek, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got you into this.¡±_

_The other closed his eyes, holding back his own tears, ¡°It was good while it lasted¡­¡±_

¡°So sorry your world is tumbling down

I will watch you through these nights

Rest your head and go to sleep

Because my child, this is not our farewell.

This is not our farewell.¡±

_¡°¡­ thank you.¡±_

_A single gunshot echoed through the night air, before all fell silent again. Not a soul made a sound as the young man clad in black walked down a deserted street, his twin in his arms, seemingly asleep, face serene. His footsteps resonated like gentle waves, rippling through the numbing silence as a sole witness to what had just happened._

Sora opened his eyes and looked down at Eliza. The young girl had fallen asleep some time ago, but Sora knew someone else was also listening to him.

¡°How long do you intend to stand there?¡±

Soft footsteps were heard as Chikage appeared from the shadows.

¡°That¡®s a nice song.¡± Chikage whispered. Sora stood, gently pulling the blanket higher over Eliza¡¯s form.

¡°Is it really alright to have these girls as the matrix¡¯s guardians?¡± Sora muttered, head bowed.

¡°No one can really tell, but if you¡¯re against that, what can you do?¡± Chikage said as she walked up next to Sora, turning her head slightly to watch him.

Sora looked up, out the window and towards the starry sky. All was silent for a while.

¡°I¡¯ll protect their innocence.¡± Sora said as he turned. Chikage watched as he left, the door clicking shut behind him. She smiled and also looked up at the stars.

¡°What kind of boy are you?¡±

The next morning, everyone awoke to a wonderful aroma that wafted through the air. Piling into the dining area, an entire table of food greeted them, laid out in buffet fashion on the central table.

¡°Neh! Fio really outdone herself this time!¡± Maya said as she took an empty plate. The said girl appeared at the door just then, stifling a small yawn.

¡°Good morning¡­¡± she blinked as she saw everyone there, ¡°Why is everyone up so early?¡±

¡°Huh?¡± Duo looked at the clock nearby, and was shocked to see that it was barely even seven, ¡°How in the world did I wake up this early?¡±

¡°The food you glutton.¡± Rika snorted, earning her a glare. However, it was too early for him to actually start an argument, and his stomach was growling.

¡°Who did the cooking?¡± Fio asked, taking a plate also. The others exchanged puzzled looks.

¡°It was already like this when we got here.¡± Rio said, taking a bit of everything. Chikage made her appearance then.

¡°My, all of you are up already?¡± she said. In her hands she held a cup of coffee.

¡°Miss. Chikage? Who cooked all this?¡± Jen queried, looking at the food cautiously.

Chikage smiled and took a sip from her cup. She held that hand out after that, and a pot began pouring fresh coffee into the cup. Sora appeared, holding that pot and another in either hands. Realization hit the group, but Fio knew all along.

¡°Sora?¡±

Still stunned they watched as Sora calmly walked over and placed both pots on the table together with the food. He wore a dull grey shirt and a pair of black trousers, coupled with black sneakers. He turned to look at them.

¡°Are you going to eat?¡±

Maya was first to snap out of the trance, ¡°You cooked all of this?¡±

Sora nodded.

¡°Where did you learn how to cook?¡± Duo asked.

¡°Here and there.¡±

¡°Is it safe to eat?¡± Jen joked, prodding his plate of food.

¡°Sora¡¯s cooking is delicious.¡± everyone turned to look at Fio. She blinked, confused at their quizzical expressions, ¡°Yes?¡±

¡°And how would you know?¡± Rio asked, noting that her plate of food was still untouched.

¡°He made me breakfast in bed o¡­¡±

¡°WHAT?¡± Fio covered her mouth in embarrassment as her two sister looked at her incredulously. Being the creative thinkers they were Maya and Eliza were beginning to imagine things from what Fio had said, and since she wasn¡¯t allowed to finish what she had to say the sentence itself seemed to hold a bad connotation.

¡°I-it¡¯s not what you think!¡±

¡°How could you?¡± Eliza cried. Everyone else, except for a certain someone, sweatdropped.

¡°She was injured then. It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± Sora replied. He seemed indifferent to the situation.

¡°Hey! How about us?¡± Maya said.

¡°We were injured too when we first came to!¡± Eliza elaborated.

¡°I did spend some time with you last night and sang you a song.¡± Sora indicated. Now it was Eliza¡¯s turn to turn red. Mumbling something inaudible she took her plate and sat down at next to Fio.

¡°Neh? What about me?¡± Maya said, pouting.

¡°I saved you from that meteorite.¡± Sora pointed out, but the stubborn girl shook her head.

¡°That doesn¡¯t count!¡±

Rolling his eyes, Sora walked over to her and pulled her close, pecking her gently on her cheek. Maya was stunned at first, but turned into a brilliant shade of red soon after when she realised that Sora just kissed her. All the girls present were blushing to some degree, except Chikage, who merely smiled.

¡°Will that do?¡± Sora asked.

¡°T-thank you¡­¡± Maya stuttered, also taking her plate and scampering off to join her sisters.

¡°Quite the womanizer I see.¡± Jen muttered to himself, finally taking a bite of the food. A mixture of tastes exploded in his mouth.

¡°This is delicious!¡± Rika exclaimed, also tasting the food. The others agreed wholeheartedly, enjoying the food very much. What happened earlier seemed to have been forgotten, or at least, for most of them. Sora took some food also and chose to sit with the two other boys, Jen and Duo.

¡°So, Sora,¡± Jen began, a mischievous glint in his eye, ¡°Which girl do you have your eye on?¡±

The young man opted to remain quiet, silently eating his food. Duo had stopped shoveling food into his mouth for a moment to speak, ¡°You know, we can keep it a secret.¡±

¡°None of them.¡± Sora said simply.

¡°Oh, come on! You must have at least some attraction to one of them.¡±

¡°On the contrary, he¡¯s attracted to all three of them.¡± The three boys looked up to find Chikage standing there, smiling. She sat down at their table.

¡°Really? How come?¡± Jen queried, eager to know more.

¡°Why else would he risk his own life to protect them?¡± Chikage replied, sipping her coffee.

¡°Excuse me.¡± Sora stood, taking his empty plate as he did so. He left the dining area and entered the kitchen, where he put the utensils into the sink.

¡°Let me do the cleaning up, Sora.¡± Sora turned to find Fio standing at the doorway with her own empty plate. Nodding, he stepped aside and allowed Fio to get on with washing the dishes. The odd sensation he felt last night came back to him.

¡°Umm¡­ Sora?¡± Fio was blushing, and Sora realised that he had been staring at her for quite some time, particularly at a certain thing that was hanging round her neck. It looked familiar.

¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just looking at the pendant you were wearing.¡±

¡°Oh¡­¡± Fio touched the small reddish crystal, ¡°It was given to me by a lady I helped in the matrix.¡±

¡°It was nice of that person. It suits you.¡± Sora found those words spilling out from his mouth unconsciously. Fio smiled lightly, flustered.

¡°She told me the same thing. She also told me to follow my heart, and to never ever give up hope in anything.¡±

¡°I see.¡± Sora turned, and was about to leave when Fio couldn¡¯t suppress the urge to ask anymore.

¡°Are you really Malcolm?¡±

That name hit Sora hard.

¡°No¡­ just someone who took his place.¡± For the first time in so long his voice quavered, and Fio realised she had touched on a sensitive subject.

¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to-¡±

¡°I have to go.¡± With that Sora left, guilt stinging him like an angry bee. Fio bit her lower lip, regretting what she had done.

¡°Sora¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±

The door shut with a click behind Sora. His navi laid open on the desk. He had been working through the night, but sleep had no grasp of the boy. Sora sighed and looked out the window, watching as a mockingbird sang its song in a nearby tree.

¡°I still haven¡¯t forgotten¡­¡± Sora found himself muttering after a while. He walked over to his desk and sat down, closing the navi as he did so. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

¡°Malcolm Truehearted¡­¡± again guilt stabbed him as he whispered these two seemingly meaningless words.

_It was raining, the pattering sounds of the raindrops deafening all ears. The young man clad in black was standing on a street, panting, his breath forming mists in front of him. Death was at his side. From the other end of the street rumbling was heard. Slowly it grew louder, then stopped abruptly. Sensing something amiss the black clad man grew wary. Metallic clicking and swishing noises was heard, and from the carpet of rain a claw-like arm short forth, impaling itself onto the ground where the man had stood. A cable had been attached to the construct, and with a zipping noise it was reeled back to where it had come from. Landing, the black clad man watched as a metal figure stepped into view. It was human-like, two reverse joint legs slamming the ground, holding it up. They ended with three talons each which dug into the stone floor, causing it to shudder and crack under the pressure. It¡¯s arms, which had three claws each also, were attached to very wide shoulder plates. The body was slender and streamlined, it¡¯s head oval shaped, sharp and pointed at the tip, where two yellow eyes glowed through a transparent dome-like green carapace. A man was standing next to it. His hair was raven like the black clad¡¯s, but his eyes were blue in colour._

_¡°So it comes down to this.¡± He said, crossing his arms._

_¡°Stop this madness Malcolm.¡± The black clad muttered as he straightened._

_The man known as Malcolm laughed, ¡°Madness? I¡¯m completely sane, Pryce. At least, sane enough to see what¡¯s happening.¡±_

_Pryce raised his handgun and pointed it straight at Malcolm, ¡°Malcolm Truehearted, you have been charged with treason and grand theft. You are to return peacefully with me, and I have orders to exterminate you if you resist.¡±_

_¡°Exterminate away then.¡± With a wave of his hand the metal creature shot both its arms towards Pryce, who promptly dodged them. The shoulder blades of the creature slid open, revealing two laser cannons each. They each fired a bullet of yellow energy, which caught Pryce off guard and slammed into him forcefully, sending him skidding across the ground, water rippling violently underneath him. He slammed into a nearby wall, forming a small crater._

_¡°You¡¯re so predictable!¡± Malcolm spat. The metal creature began reeling back its arms, and as the dust settled around Pryce, they clanged back onto their respective stumps and locked on firmly with a metallic click. Head bowed, Pryce was sitting, leaning against the crater as the rain continued to beat down relentlessly._

_¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you, Malcolm.¡± Pryce muttered, ¡°Aeries is waiting for you back at base¡­¡±_

_¡°For who?¡±__ Malcolm roared, anger rising, ¡°It was always Pryce this, Pryce that. Did she ever give a damn about me? NO!¡±_

_Pryce smiled, ¡°She does care about you. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±_

_¡°Just what?¡±___

_¡°She was afraid¡­ of having to involve you¡­ in this.¡±_

_¡°THAT¡¯S A LIE!¡± Malcolm screamed, ¡°SHE WASN¡¯T AFRAID! SHE NEVER WANTED ME TO JOIN GISB! BUT I PERSERVERED! WORKED HARD! AND WHAT¡­ does she do¡­?¡± Malcolm grew quiet, choking back tears._

_¡°She denied my existence¡­ ignored me even when I¡¯m her own flesh and blood¡­¡±_

_All fell silent, save the crashing rain._

_¡°GISB isn¡¯t what it seems to be, Malcolm,¡± Pryce said quietly, voice changing totally from gentle to cold, even foreboding, ¡°Do you wish to see what it truly is?¡±_

_¡°What are you talking about?¡± Malcolm¡¯s indignation was cut short as Pryce stood, seemingly unhurt by the previous attack._

_¡°Power restriction, level 1, released. Lock open till target is silenced.¡± Raindrops seemed to pause in midair around Pryce as he was engulfed in an eerie black glow. Death disappeared from his hand, replaced by a circular symbol encased with a six-pointed star on his palm, carved in blood. Three strange glyphs were inscribed around it, each smoking with a black substance._

_¡°What?¡± Malcolm muttered as Pryce raised his hand, lifting his head up as he did so. His eyes were glowing dimly, unblinking. An invisible force hit the metal creature, causing its gears to groan and joints to creak, trying to maintain its standing position. Sora clenched his fist, and the metallic creature was instantly crushed, crumpling as easily as a paper construct. Seconds later, it imploded, hurling Malcolm back several meters. He was shocked beyond words, looking at the crater the implosion had created, mouth ajar. Hearing footsteps behind him, he spun round. In a blur a hand found its way onto Malcolm¡¯s face, and he was powerless to stop it, body numb from the fear which had gripped him. Pryce stood above him, eyes hidden from view, water dripping from his hair._

_¡°My contract with GISB has not expired, and hence I have to do their bidding for now. I¡¯m sorry, Malcolm. If you had just stayed away, I wouldn¡¯t have had to do this painful task.¡±_

_¡°W-what are you?¡± Malcolm managed to stutter._

_¡°Something which doesn¡¯t belong.¡±__ A brief flash of red light from Sora¡¯s hand, and Malcolm fell backwards, unmoving. His eyes were blank, void of anything, body limp and cold. A soulless shell that watched but never responded, memories flashing by, seen, but never understood for the rest of eternity._

_Sora sighed and looked up into the sky. It looked like an empty canvas, as if some painter had pulled it over, covering the heavens above to draw it yet again, perhaps even adding a rainbow, if it pleases._

_The rain continued to beat down on Sora as he turned, glistening tears fading into nothingness with the raindrops as he walked away._

Sora opened his eyes as a knock came from his door.

¡°Who is it?¡±

¡°It¡¯s me, Fio.¡±

Sora stood and went over, opening the door to find the said girl standing there, head bowed, hands before her.

¡°Yes?¡±

¡°Maya, Eliza and I are going shopping. I was wondering whether you would¡­¡± Fio¡¯s voice drifted off for a moment. Biting her lower lip, she took in a deep breath before finishing her statement, ¡°Would you like to accompany us?¡±

Sora pondered for a while, but the answer had already come.

¡°I would love to.¡± Fio looked up surprised. In truth, she had expected Sora to turn her offer down. She was even more surprised to find Sora smiling lightly at her. Instantly Fio felt slightly light-hearted, blushing slightly.

¡°Neh, Fio? Are you ready?¡± Maya appeared down the corridor, and seeing that Sora was with her sister, immediately sensed something awry, ¡°FIO!¡±

Fio turned, face beet red, ¡°Maya? I-it¡¯s nothing! Really!¡±

¡°She was asking whether I would like to follow you all to go shopping.¡± Sora had come to Fio¡¯s rescue. Maya¡¯s face instantly brightened.

¡°Really? So are you following us?¡±

¡°Yes.¡±

It didn¡¯t take long to reach their destination. Often rated as one of the top departmental stores in the world, _Luminous__Plaza_boasted of many shops and services. Literally anything could be found behind its doors, the grand three-storied complex providing a truly unforgettable shopping experience. The oracles were instantly stunned when they first entered the complex.

¡°Wow!¡± Maya gasped, looking around her at all the shops.

¡°Don¡¯t get lost now.¡± Chikage cautioned, standing with arms crossed, smiling slightly, ¡°Keep an eye on them Sora. I¡¯ve to attend a meeting so I won¡¯t be able to send you all back to CAM.¡±

¡°We¡¯ll manage.¡± Jen, Rio, Banks, Mei and Duo had also tagged along. Chikage bid them farewell and headed for the limo waiting outside.

¡°Where to first?¡± Rio asked.

¡°Clothes!¡± Maya instantly replied. Everyone else sweatdropped at her hyperness.

¡°Umm¡­ right¡­ I¡¯ll be at the hardware and electronics section, ciao.¡± With that Duo disappeared into the crowd.

¡°Ah! Wait!¡± Mei went also, after Duo.

¡°Well, I do need to get some new clothes, so we¡¯ll go together.¡± Jen said, looking over to Sora, ¡°Any problems?¡±

Sora shook his head, and it was decided. The departmental store was very well organized into various sections, each specializing in a certain area or aspect. The clothes section was arguably the largest of sections, numerous brands showcasing their goods to the masses that thronged the place. Banks didn¡¯t stick out like a sore thumb with his feral like features and bluish fur, as there were also other system oracles around with their masters, some of them even more bizarre looking than others. However, Banks still attracted attention because of his status as a cyber angel member. It wasn¡¯t that hard to spot him for his hulking figure.

¡°Aren¡¯t those cyber angel members?¡±

¡°Look! Jen Saints! He¡¯s so cool!¡±

¡°Isn¡¯t that Rio Saints? Jen Saint¡¯s sister?¡±

¡°And her system navigator, Banks. He¡¯s huge!¡±

¡°Who are those four with them?¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ bodyguards maybe?¡±

¡°If they are the three girls sure look cute. Who¡¯s the boy?¡±

¡°I heard he¡¯s a new member¡­ Sora Truehearted, I think.¡±

¡°He looks pretty helpless, how¡¯d he get in?¡±

People where whispering and pointing at them, but it¡¯s become a common affair for all of them.

¡°Appearances do not matter, do they, Sora?¡± Jen asked cheerfully, looking at the silent boy.¡±

¡°No, they don¡¯t.¡± Sora muttered. Soon, the group came to a shop.

¡°Here¡¯s the place. Emo Tailors.¡± Rio said, turning to the group.

¡°Emo Tailors?¡± Sora asked, knowing the name.

¡°Walter¡¯s son set up his own boutique here.¡± Rio replied, nodding. As they entered, they were greeted by a man. He wore clothes exactly like Walter¡¯s, but he was visibly younger, and had a monocle on his left eye.

¡°Well, what gives me the honour of the presence of such distinguished customers?¡± he said, taking Rio¡¯s hand and kissing it, causing her to giggle.

¡°Paul, behave yourself.¡± Rio gently tugged free her hand.

¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Paul.¡± Jen stepped forward and shook the man¡¯s hand.

¡°The honour is all mine.¡±

¡°Paul, I¡¯d like you to meet some friends of ours. These are Fio, Maya, Eliza, and Sora. Everyone, this is Paul Emo.¡±

¡°Charmed, I¡¯m sure.¡± Paul said, bowing gracefully towards the four.

¡°We need to get some clothes, Paul.¡± Jen indicated.

¡°But of course¡­¡± Paul snapped his fingers, and several people appeared, carrying various measuring instruments and fabrics, ¡°if you may, please follow me.¡±

Sora¡¯s and the oracles¡¯ dimensions were measured, and after what seemed like a debate of sorts between the group of tailors, they set about making clothes for each of them. Rio had dragged the boys together with the other girls to see some of the already finished suits and dresses as they waited for their own. The girls tried some of them on as the Jen, Sora and Banks watched.

¡°Girls will be girls.¡± Jen muttered, shaking his head. Banks stood imposing, eyes staring blankly in front of him. Sora was staring out of the window nearby, watching as clouds went by.

¡°Banks.¡± A gruff voice caught the three¡¯s attention. Turning they found a system navigator standing behind them. He was as tall as Banks, but his fur was a brown colour, with black symbols. Compared to Banks, who looked like a werewolf, this navigator looked like a were-lion.

¡°Leo? What are you doing here?¡± Banks asked.

¡°Sheba wanted to look at some clothes.¡±

As if on cue, a woman appeared next to the system navigator called Leo. Her hair was a platinum yellow, eyes violet in colour. She looked about as old as Jen.

¡°Leo! Where were you?¡± she then spotted Jen, ¡°Oh! Mr. Saints!¡±

¡°Hello Sheba.¡± Jen replied, smiling. The girls had also gathered round.

¡°Hey, Sheba,¡± Rio gave the woman a hug, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

¡°Same old same old¡­ my, who are these four?¡± Sheba asked, looking at Sora and the oracles.

¡°Friends and new members of the cyber angels. Guys, this is Sheba Coronation, Chikage¡¯s younger sister.¡±

¡°How is my sister doing? Getting along fine now is she?¡± Sheba asked, smiling cheerfully. Rio nodded in reply.

¡°How¡¯s work over at the safe room?¡±

¡°Oh nothing much happens.¡±

¡°Safe room?¡± Fio asked, puzzled. Her sisters were also curious to know more.

Rio decided to explain. Above the departmental stalls there were three skyscrapers which served as offices for more than a quarter of Labyrinth¡¯s work force. That included the national mint and safe room, where the country¡¯s funds were kept under tight security. It appeared that Sheba worked as one of the accountants there, keeping tabs on the monetary activities happening everyday.

¡°Wow. It must be an important job.¡± Maya commented. Sheba smiled.

¡°It can be a chore at times though¡­¡±

Paul appeared just then, ¡°We¡¯ve almost finished with the clothes. If you would try them on we would gladly put in the final touches. Oh, hello, Miss. Sheba. I¡¯ll attend to you shortly.¡±

¡°There¡¯s no rush. These nice young girls come first.¡± Sheba replied.

¡°As you wish.¡± Paul led the group to the changing rooms. Rio had requested that each oracle be made a full set of attires, and they were now all hanging in three of the changing cubicles.

¡°If you would, Miss. Maya, your¡¯s is on the left. Miss. Eliza, you¡¯ll be on the left. Miss. Fio? Center cubicle please.¡±

The girls each went to their respective cubicles and begun changing. Maya¡¯s wardrobe included many short skirts, wide-collared shirts, and ribbons. There were also a few one piece dresses thrown in. She came out wearing a pale lime green skirt for the bottom which contrasted her tan legs, a white collared-shirt with green trimmings for her top, and a green ribbon tied round her collar in butterfly fashion. Maya also wore low heels with straps that twirled up her calves, and had a long green ribbon tied round her left arm. Her outfit was completed with a set of small pearl earrings.

¡°Kawaii!¡± Maya did a pose in front of the mirror. Rio was compelled to slap Jen for staring at Maya¡¯s skirt which was dangerously close to revealing more than just her slender legs.

Eliza on the other hand had a wardrobe of pants, t-shirts, and scarves, reflecting her slightly tomboyish, playful nature. She came out wearing a pair of dark yellow pants that reached just below her ankles, a white shirt with yellow bands round the sleeves, and a bright red scarf with white designs tied loosely round her neck. The white sneakers she wore seem to suit her just fine. As usual she had two ribbons on her hair securing her ponytails in place.

¡°How cute.¡± Sheba said, cupping her cheek as she saw Eliza. The perky girl smiled and jumped onto Sora¡®s lap.

¡°Neh? Is it nice, big brother?¡±

Sora nodded, slightly winded from her sudden action.

¡°Eliza!¡± Maya shouted, pouting, ¡°Didn¡¯t Sora say not to do that too often?¡±

Eliza stuck out her tongue at Maya and got off Sora, just as the door of the cubicle Fio was in opened. Apparently Paul had felt that long skirts and blouses suited the soft-spoken girl. Fio wore a long blue skirt with a branch of cherry blossoms spiraling down one side. Her blouse was a light pink, with a moderate neckline, long sleeves ending with lacy frills. Her hair was tied back with a white bow, and a red pendant was hanging from her neck, the same one Sora had seen before.

¡°Ah, it turned out better than I expected.¡± Paul commented, scratching his chin, ¡°It really brings out your maturity, don¡¯t you think so, Miss. Fio?¡±

Fio cheeks were pink, ¡°Yes, Mr. Emo. It¡¯s very nice.¡±

Paul then clapped his hands, ¡°Well then, now the boys.¡±

Jen groaned, ¡°Come on¡­¡±

¡°Stop complaining.¡± Rio half dragged, half chided her brother into the cubicle, ¡°You need a new look, start afresh!¡±

¡°Whatever¡­¡±

¡°Just change and see if it fits.¡± With that Rio slammed the door shut, earning her sweatdrops from everyone else.

¡°If you would also, Mr. Sora.¡± Paul motioned. Sora stood and headed for the cubicle he was directed to. Locking the door, an odd smell came to Sora. It was soft and sweet, like a spring flower newly sprung from the bud. Sora looked down at the clothes folded neatly on a table, a sense of familiarity flooding into him.

_¡°Merry Christmas.¡±___

_Pryce looked at the innocent smile on a young woman, puzzled. In his hands he held a green and red package. They were on the floor beside a fireplace, wood cackling merrily as a fire burned, casting random shadows around it. Outside the window, it was snowing gently, flakes drawing their own intricate paths as they fell._

_¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too early to be giving this?¡±_

_The young woman giggled, liquid blue hair jiggling. With her crystal grey eyes she examined Pryce, ¡°You don¡¯t have a birthday, so at least you should get your presents earlier for Christmas.¡±_

_Looking down at the gift, Pryce frowned, ¡°but¡­¡± a finger planted itself on his lips._

_¡°Just open it.¡± the girl whispered into Pryce¡¯s ear, sending shivers down his spine. Pryce found himself powerless, as if possessed by the girl¡¯s sweet scent and warm touch. Obediently he undid the ribbon on the package, unwrapping it to find a long black coat. On its back was a stylized Chinese character in red,¡®____¡¯, roughly translated as heart._

_¡°Did you sew this?¡± Pryce asked._

_¡°Do you like it?¡± was the soft reply. Pryce nodded._

_¡°Thank you, __Miss.__ Peacekeeper.¡±_

_¡°Call me by my first name, Pryce.¡±_

_¡°But¡­¡±_

_¡°Please Pryce. Let me hear you say it.¡± Pryce looked into those begging eyes. How could he refuse something like that?_

_¡°Fiona¡­¡± Pryce felt the woman¡¯s breath get caught midway, before moving onto the next, ¡°Thank you for the present.¡±_

_No reply came. None was needed. The two just sat there, silently enjoying each other¡¯s company._

_¡°What did you get for me?¡± Fiona asked suddenly. Pryce was caught off guard._

_¡°Well¡­ I¡­¡±_

_Fiona giggled, ¡°It¡¯s alright Pryce. I heard from Sora you were busy.¡±_

_¡°N-no, Fiona.__ I¡­¡± Pryce stuttered. Under the gaze of those beautifully innocent eyes, Pryce found it hard to even breath right, let alone speak properly, ¡°I¡­ did get you something.¡±_

_¡°Really?¡±__ Fiona¡¯s smile was enough to make Pryce feel all fuzzy inside. Fumbling around the much older and tattered black coat he was wearing now, Pryce fished out a metal band, it¡¯s silver surface gleaming in the firelight, ¡®Fiona Peacekeeper¡¯ carved on it._

_¡°It isn¡¯t much¡­¡± Pryce suddenly found himself on the ground, Fiona on him, playfully snatching the bangle from his hands like a child._

_¡°It¡¯s beautiful, Pryce.¡± Fiona said as she examined every detail of it. She then looked down on Pryce, blushing slightly, ¡°but I would have liked something much simpler.¡±_

_¡°Like?¡±___

_¡°Like¡­¡± Pryce leaned forward before she could finish, catching Fiona¡¯s lips with his own in a passionate lock. Time seem to stand still as the two lovers shared their first, and regrettably, last kiss. As they parted, Fiona¡¯s face was radiating heat. Closing her eyes she licked her lips, savoring the forbidden fruit she had been just tempted with._

_¡°¡­you.¡±_

Jen emerged from the cubicle. He wore a pair of black pants and a white, long-sleeved collared shirt tucked out for his top. Though simple, Jen looked very good in it.

¡°I was going for a clean look. Turned out pretty well, didn¡¯t it?¡± Paul said, examining Jen.

¡°You look great!¡± Rio exclaimed, hugging her brother. The others agreed also. Jen smiled and patted his sister¡¯s head. A click was heard as the door of the cubicle Sora was in opened. Out stepped a metal-tipped black boot, followed moments later by its twin. Moving up, a pair of black slacks and a black vest were partially covered by a long black coat, metal bands clamping down on both sleeves above the elbow. Coupled with a pair of fingerless black gloves and a silver cross dangling from a chain round his neck, everyone just stared, slack-jawed, at Sora¡¯s transformation.

¡°I¡¯m surprised it turned out so well¡­¡± Paul said, the monocle he was wearing dropping off as he too was surprised by his own handiwork.

¡°This doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± Sora muttered, looking down at the coat. Jen laughed.

¡°It¡¯s admittedly good to dress up once in awhile, Sora, and the clothes do suit you. Hell, they were made for you. No pun intended Paul.¡±

¡°Black suits you very well, Mr. Sora. Are you by any chance a night person?¡± Paul asked, wiping his monocle and putting it back on.

¡°A bit, I suppose.¡±

¡°Well then, if all of you are satisfied, I¡¯ll send the bill over.¡±

¡°Thanks Paul.¡±

After some idle chatter, they finally left the boutique. They didn¡¯t take long to find Duo and Mei at the electronics department.

¡°Hey guys I was - wow - what¡¯s with the gothic look?¡± obviously Duo was referring to Sora. Every since they came out of the boutique there have been turning heads and whispering people, particularly about one extremely hostile looking guy in black.

¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±

It was way past lunchtime, so the group decided to visit the nearby restaurants, bidding farewell to Sheba who had to go back to work. Finding a restaurant which was considerably empty and suited their tastes, they went in and was immediately ushered to seats. Placing their orders with a waiter they patiently waited for their food to come. Idle chatter began to arise, particularly about the matrix.

¡°I wonder why all of a sudden this organization pops out of nowhere and infect the oracles with a virus, just like that.¡±

¡°Maybe they were in hiding? Waiting for the right time to strike?¡±

¡°What were those zombie creatures we fought in the past anyway? Were they real or just from some bizarre horror game?¡±

¡°The question we should be asking is how that girl could summon them, and how the other one killed all those people so easily, without a weapon.¡±

¡°I wonder how many more of them are there?¡±

¡°If the rest are as bad as the two we¡¯ve met so far, we¡¯ll be in for a lot of trouble.¡±

¡°What do you think of all this, Sora?¡±

All eyes fell on the young man who had been silent all this time, staring out of the window, deep in thought.

¡°Hello? Earth to Sora? You read?¡± Duo said as he waved his hands in front of Sora, but to no avail, ¡°Great, we lost him.¡±

¡°It doesn¡¯t matter does it?¡± Sora said all of a sudden, turning to face the others, ¡°All I know is that I will protect the oracles when the time comes. That is all.¡±

Fio, Maya and Eliza blushed at Sora¡¯s blatant words.

¡°Getting possessive are we?¡± Jen taunted. Sora chose not to answer that and turned to face the window yet again.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the matrix, a man is on the pavement opposite a skyscraper, flicking a lighter open and shut in his hand. Around him people walked past, unknown to them what was soon to happen. The man wore a white tuxedo with a short black ribbon tied round his neck. His long yellow hair was tied back with a blue band, blue eyes examining the mirrored windows of the towering skyscraper. Next to this man was another, younger by a few years. That man was clad in a blue suit, black hair poking out of a blue cap with a white streak down its center. His eyes were black in colour, face pierced with numerous rings.

¡°So what, Reap?¡± that man said, looking directly at his older companion.

¡°Tomorrow, Ellison. Tomorrow you can have all the fun you want.¡±

The man known as Ellison laughed, ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll hold you to your word then.¡±

Reap smiled, snapping his lighter shut.

Author¡¯s Ramble

Both Fio and Pryce are sitting (on separate chairs). Fio¡¯s face is beet red, while Sora was sweatdropping. FFC was ignoring them, typing away.

Sora: What¡¯s with that scene?

FFC: What?

Fio: You know¡­ the kissing one¡­

FFC: Oh, the frenching¡­

Sora & Fio: WHAT!?

FFC: Just joking. Besides, that wasn¡¯t Fio. It was Fiona, got it?

Fio: Why does she look like me?

FFC: Got it the wrong way round Fio, and JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

Wincing at FFC¡¯s extremely loud voice Fio: I was wondering how our author looked like but I didn¡¯t expect him to look so¡­

FFC: Stupid? Nothing more that a miniature lump of shell that scuttles across a keyboard relentlessly, trying to make a god of an OC?

Fio: Erm¡­ not really, just a little weird. Your brother¡¯s really cute by the way.

A large shell blasts through the wall, and we see Fujizk laughing manically. Both Sora and Fio sweatdrop

FFC: I know, but he¡¯s annoying sometimes. Large plasma cannon appears in FFC¡¯s hand Go say hi to your pet dog down in hell, kay?

Fujizk: Okay! Gets obliterated by huge beam of purple light from plasma cannon

FFC: Okay now. Stay tuned for the next chapter, CIAO!


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Shooting across the sky, _Éclair _was on its way towards a skyscraper, two launch ships following it. On board the airship, the cyber angels were gathered at the bridge. All of them looked sleepy, and the only ones that looked remotely alert was Sora and Jen.

¡°Wake up. You¡¯ll be approaching the UED building soon.¡± Chikage said through the communications channel

¡°Guard duty is boring¡­¡± Rio complained, yawning.

¡°But you¡¯ll still have to do it. Jen?¡±

¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Jen stood and turned to face the others, ¡°Each of us will be assigned to an area within the UED building. Our job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly in today¡¯s annual meeting. This year will also be the first that the UED will be making it a public activity.¡±

The UED government is mainly made up of two bodies. At the top, there is the executive committee, which is in charge of global matters. They are made up of seven people, one from each continent: America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and the matrix. The delegates are the ones nominated by the people to represent them in UED, and every five years the people decide whether to reelect their representatives or have a new one instead. Theses six are the ones who will decide on whether new laws or rules should be passed.

Next is the assembly. These people are also delegates nominated by the people, three from each continent. That makes a total of twenty-one delegates, reelected annually. They are the ones that come up with bills and trash out things that are brought up in daily meetings. After all the debates and discussions, they submit their reports to the executive committee to be judged, and if it succeeds, the new rules or laws are made public.

Normally, these two parties work independently from each other, but once every year, a meeting is held in which all members of the UED government come together to review bills that have been passed and reevaluate their feasibility. Though it is common for this meeting to be a private one, the UED decided to become more transparent in how it handles matters and hence, made it open to the public to come view the progression. This of course meant new troubles and dangers would arise. That¡¯s why GISB was called.

¡°So we¡¯re just going to stand around in our WNS armour all day long?¡± Rio whined. Jen nodded.

¡°Sora and the oracles will stay on board _Éclair _which will be cloaked.¡±

¡°Why can¡¯t I stay on board?¡± Duo asked.

¡°We¡¯ll need them on standby should something happen. Besides, with the modifications you made to his WNS, it¡¯s enough to scare away everyone.¡±

After the last two battles, Duo realised that having a blade on seeker was redundant, Sora preferring to use the sheer weight of the dual gatling busters to issue melee attacks, with great effect. So, while Duo remade the suit, he also redid the left arm and built another dual gatling buster for it. Two beam sabers were also added to seeker¡¯s back on Sora¡¯s request. This, coupled with the fact that Duo painted the suit¡¯s name in blood-like paint on the left side of the helm and on the right shoulder plate, made seeker look less than a welcoming sight. And on a side note, all the other suits finally had helms.

¡°Man, this sucks!¡± Duo groaned, stretching. A sharp rap on the head from Rika caused him to jerk forward, ¡°Hey!¡±

¡°Blame it on yourself.¡± Rika said, crossing her arms. Duo looked like he was about to counter with an argument, but his jaw just hung there for a moment before he closed it, turning back to face Jen. Everyone was puzzled by this, but shrugged it off. Rika however, took a second look at Duo, biting her lower lip as she turned away moments later so as to not attract attention.

¡°The meeting itself will be held in the general room on the second floor. Each of you will be assigned sentry areas. Rio, Banks, and Rika you three will be at the main entrance with the in-house security guards checking the visitors. Duo, you and Mei will be at the leisure room. Myself and Chi will be in the square outside patrolling. The GISB troops will be covering the roof and other areas.¡±

As Jen finished his last words _Éclair _began slowly descending into the square just outside the UED building. The two launch ships remained hovering in mid-air as WNS flew out from them. As the hanger door opened, a man was standing outside to greet the cyber angels.

¡°Captain Saints?¡± he asked as Jen approached. Jen nodded, and accepted a handshake from the man.

¡°Who may I be speaking to?¡±

¡°Giles, head officer of UED¡¯s security team. It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you.¡±

¡°Likewise.¡±

Giles looked up into the sky where the WNS were flying past, ¡°I presume your troops have begun their sweep of the building?¡±

¡°Yes. GISB prefers to be on the safe side.¡±

¡°Glad to hear it. Most of the UED executive committee and assembly have arrived, but it¡¯s still almost an hour till the meeting starts.¡±

¡°That¡¯ll be okay. It just gives us more time to do our job.¡±

With that, Jen headed back into _Éclair _to get his suit as Giles headed back in. The others were already prepared.

¡°_Éclair_, stay within a reachable range of the UED building.¡± Duo said through the intercom, receiving three beeps from the A.I. as confirmation.

¡°Everyone set?¡± Jen asked, receiving various answers from the others, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

As Sora watched from the bridge of the airship, _Éclair _took off, a brief shimmer of the entire ship indicating that they were now cloaked. Leaning back in the chair Sora looked out into the sky. From the lounge, the three oracles were watching him.

¡°He looks so Kawaii!¡± Maya said, propping her head up with her hand.

¡°Neh! You have something for big brother?¡± Eliza teased.

¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± Maya countered, cheeks flushed. Fio smiled as she watched the other two girls¡¯ argument. She turned to look at Sora, and realised that he was looking at them. The strange thing was, when Fio¡¯s eyes caught his, Sora immediately turned away, resuming his stare of the blue sky outside.

Meanwhile, as the meeting finally begun, more and more people began to throng the UED building. It appeared that having heard of the government¡¯s decision to become more transparent in its system, quite a number of people had turned up to see for themselves how it was like. Even if the meeting was scheduled to be aired on all channels live, many still came to experience it first hand. Rio and the others were having a hard time keeping up with the number of visitors coming and going, but they were managing. Nothing much happened on Duo and Mei¡¯s side, since the government officials had already left the leisure room to attend the meeting. Jen and Chi were outside patrolling. Due to the crowd forming, the two had gotten separated in the large square.

¡°Chi? Where are you?¡±

¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s a lost girl with me. I¡¯m taking her to find her parents.¡±

¡°Alright. Be safe.¡±

¡°Thank you.¡±

Jen took off his helm since it was getting hot wearing that. Someone collided with Jen just then. Of course, since Jen was in his WNS he was barely fazed, but the person was sent tumbling to the ground.

¡°Are you alright?¡± Jen spotted the young woman on the ground. Her platinum brown hair reached just below her waist, falling beautifully around her, contrasting her light purple eyes. She wore a maroon sleeveless buttoned blouse and a pair of black pants, revealing her considerable curves. A coffee brown jacket was tied round her waist, and to complete her attire was a set of medium heels and a silver metal band round the upper part of her right arm.

¡°Y-yes I¡¯m fine¡­¡± The woman said. Her face looked considerably pale. Jen extended a hand over.

¡°Is something the matter? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± Jen asked as the woman accepted his hand and pulled herself up.

¡°Actually, I¡¯m a bit lost. Do you know which way is it to the main entrance of the UED building?¡±

Jen nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there then.¡±

¡°Thank you.¡±

Negotiating through the sea of people, Jen took the woman to the main entrance and entered. There, Rio, Banks and Rika were busy controlling the flow of people.

¡°Hey Jen,¡± Rio noticed the young woman following her brother, ¡°So you ditched Chi for another girl?¡±

The woman blushed slightly as Jen rolled his eyes, ¡°No. Chi¡¯s helping a lost child find her parents. She,¡± Jen indicated the young woman behind him, ¡°was trying to find the entrance of the UED building and got lost. Check her would you?¡±

¡°Why don¡¯t I leave it to you to do the checking?¡± Rio said slyly.

¡°Rio¡­¡± Jen said in a dangerously low tone. Her sister got the message and obediently scanned the young woman with a device.

¡°All checked. You¡¯re good to go.¡±

The young woman bowed towards Jen, ¡°Thank you for your help. I have to go now.¡± with that she left for the elevator.

¡°Did you get her number?¡± Rio whispered to Jen, who face-faulted.

¡°Aren¡¯t you suppose to be doing your job right now?¡± Jen asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

¡°I¡¯ll take it as you forgot then.¡± Rio said, giggling. She scampered off when her brother gave her a warning glare, humming to herself. Jen sighed and shook his head. Come to think of it, he hand¡¯t asked for the young woman¡¯s name.

¡°Oh well, all in a day¡¯s work.¡± Jen muttered as he went back to the square.

As the day wore on, it was soon time for lunch. The assembly and executive committee decided to take an hour¡¯s break then, and the meeting was adjourned for the time being. Meanwhile, in the loading bay of the UED building, a security guard which had been reading the newspaper looked up as several trucks pulled in. Reap alighted from one of them as the security guard stood and approached them.

¡°Hey, you¡¯re not suppose to be-¡±

A silenced gunshot cut the guard¡¯s words short as he crumpled to the floor, dead. Reap holstered his gun and took out his lighter, flicking it open and shut.

¡°Come out.¡± The back of the trucks opened, and groups of WNS clambered out. Most of them carried assault rifles, others had rocket launchers. Ellison hoped down from one of the trucks also.

¡°This is going to be fun.¡± Ellison grinned. Reap smiled and snapped his fingers. One of the WNS holding the rocket launchers fired a shot, destroying the doors of the back entrance to the UED building. The security guards stationed there had no time to react and were killed instantly.

¡°What in the world?¡± several GISB troops had arrived on the scene upon hearing the explosion. A hail of high velocity bullets ripped through one of them, splattering blood onto the wall. The others immediately ducked for cover.

¡°Alert! Terrorists are forcing entry from the loading bay. Requesting backup now!¡± One GISB troop yelled into his intercom as his comrades fired their weapons.

¡°What is your posit¡­¡±

The rest of the message was never heard as a metallic oval shaped construct crashed through the wall, Impaling that soldier. Its sides opened to reveal two laser canons. The remaining GISB soldiers could not escape in time as searing beams of energy cut through them like a hot knife through butter.

Jen¡¯s intercom crackled violently as the communications was abruptly cut with that team of troops, ¡°Do you read me?¡± Static filled his speakers.

¡°Damn,¡± he curse, ¡°Duo, Mei, get the assembly and executive committee out of there. Rio, Banks, Rika, go and assist them.¡±

¡°Roger.¡±

Rio, Rika, and Banks had went out for lunch at a nearby cafe. Running towards the square, the two girls and navigator met with a strange force field that knocked them back.

¡°Ouch¡­¡± Rio whined, rubbing her head. Banks placed his hands on the invisible barrier.

¡°Where did that come from?¡± Rika asked, standing. She struck it with her pike. A resounding clang echoed for a few moments before fading away. Banks shook his head, indicating that nothing¡¯s changed.

¡°Jen, there¡¯s a barrier blocking our path.¡±

¡°How¡¯d it get there?¡±

¡°Don¡¯t know, but it won¡¯t budge.¡±

¡°Damn.¡± Jen cursed. He had been ion the square, and looking up a brief flicker caught his eye, ¡°Who in the world could generate such a large shield?¡±

¡°There¡¯s a massive energy reading on the twentieth floor of the building.¡± Chi said, scanning the area.

¡°Go tell Duo that the main entrance is blocked. I¡¯ll try and disable the shield. Sit tight Rio.¡±

¡°Roger.¡±

Meanwhile, two jump holes appeared around _Éclair_, and black ships emerged from them, three times the size of _Éclair_ They were M-19 battleships, assault class. Their hulls opened, revealing mirrored surfaces. Gathering blue energy, thick beams shot towards the airship.

¡°A.I., begin evasive maneuvers and counter attack,¡± Sora commanded. The bluish orb appeared yet again and beeped several times. Thrusters screaming, _Éclair _got out of the way just in time as two beams created a deadly crossfire. The long needle-like tail of _Éclair _rose and turned round, teal energy gathering at its tip. A deadly charge burst forth moments later, tearing through one side of a battleship. A series of explosions followed _Little Dragon_¡¯s wake. Luckily they were over a large plain, hence the battleship crashed without damaging much. WNS began flying out of the other battleship, each bearing a pulse cannon. Purple energy began flying through the sky, _Éclair _reeling through them as it swiftly approached the next nearest battleship.

¡°Where are you Sora?¡± Jen¡¯s voice sounded through the intercom.

¡°_Éclair_¡¯s dealing with some problems.¡±

Two of the airship¡¯s missile pods opened, and numerous missiles burst forth, engulfing the flying WNS with countless explosions. _Éclair _emerged from the smoke, laser cannons raining searing energy on a remaining battleship. It retaliate with its own laser turrets, but the airship was too nimble. A blast from _Little Dragon _rendered the battleship destroyed. The A.I. appeared yet again, beeping as it indicated that the particle cannon had overheated.

¡°A force field¡¯s been activated round the UED building. Get the airship over here and see if you can break through.¡± Jen said.

¡°Terrorists?¡±

¡°Probably.¡±

A hail of gunfire burst through the intercom. Jen ducked into a nearby room for cover, drawing his blades.

¡°Damn! They¡¯re already up here!¡±

Another voice sounded through the intercom, coupled with the noise of a furious gunfight, ¡°Duo here! The UED government committee is being held within the general meeting room.¡±

¡°What happened?¡±

¡°WNS just started pouring out of nowhere. Our GISB troops are trying their best to suppress them. SHIT!¡±

An oval shaped object had burst forth from the ranks of terrorist WNS. Duo activated guardis¡¯ shield just in time as it made contact. The shield rippled angrily, flashing brilliantly as electricity crackled.

¡°Duo! What in the world was that?¡±

¡°I think we¡¯re about to find out¡­¡± Duo muttered as a tall metallic creature walked forth, it¡¯s silver shell gleaming in the light, ¡°They have an exo-shell!¡±

It was a mech designed by scientists not long ago, used mainly to build sectors within the matrix. The military however adopted its design to be made into a weapon. Equipped with an A.I., exo-shells respond to basic commands and carry them out in the fastest, most efficient way possible. This made them true killer drones. How the terrorists could obtain such a weapon was questionable, since the black market had become extinct for quite some time already.

Now the GISB troops concentrated their fire on the metallic creature, called the exo-shell, but it simply weathered the attack like nothing. Raising both arms, it¡¯s four laser canons opened fire. Guardis¡¯ shield wouldn¡¯t hold up much longer like this. Duo grunted, hands trembling from the exertion.

¡°Mei, help me out a little here would you?¡±

The navigator nodded, eyes beginning to glow. The shield was strengthened a bit, but that didn¡¯t mean it was going to last forever.

¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± A voice said through the intercom. Duo smiled as he recognized it immediately.

¡°Funny you should say that when you won¡¯t even listen to me.¡±

A blue bolt suddenly shot forth, crashing through the shield like it was nothing and hitting Duo square on the chest.

¡°Argh!¡±

¡°Duo!¡± Rio and Rika cried from outside.

¡°Mei! What happened to Duo?¡± Rika nearly screamed through her intercom.

¡°Something hit him. He¡¯s knocked out.¡±

Rika cursed under her breath as Rio opened up a communications channel with _Éclair_, ¡°Sora! Where are you?¡±

¡°Right here.¡± Up in the sky, the hanger doors of _Éclair _opened. Sora and the three oracles were standing there as a sharp wind passed them.

¡°I might be able to break that force field.¡± Eliza said. Her armour looked like her sisters¡¯ but it was yellow in colour. In her hands she carried a set of battle axes.

Sora reached his hand out towards Eliza, his gatling busters strapped onto his back. His visor was down.

¡°Come on.¡±

¡°Um.¡±

A brief flash of light later, Sora was flying down towards where Rio and company stood with Maya and Fio in tow. He was clad in heavy yellow armour, two long white tubes flying back from his shoulders, ending with yellow beads. He wore a yellow visor connected to two circular white earpieces. In one hand he carried a great axe, it¡¯s silver blade gleaming in the sunlight, brown handle adorned with red fabric. Rio and the others got out of the way as Sora rammed headlong into the shield with his axe. Slowly, but surely, the weapon penetrated, and a Sora broke through finally.

¡°Hurry, before it seals again.¡±

The shield closed itself yet, but not before everyone had went through.

¡°Banks, where are they now?¡±

¡°In the lobby, but the signal is very weak.¡± Banks replied somberly.

¡°Damn it Duo¡­ don¡¯t die on me yet¡­¡± Rika muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Jen was flying through corridors, dispatching the occasional WNS that blocked his way. From his map he could tell that he was close to the source of the force field.

¡°It should be around¡­ here.¡± Jen stopped at a junction, looking around him, ¡°Which way?¡±

A hail of bullets flew past, disturbing Jen¡¯s line of thoughts. WNS appeared on all sides, seemingly having been waiting in ambush. Not waiting to be torn apart by burning lead, Jen flew back and crashed into the nearest door. Red eyes met light purples ones as Jen looked up to find the young woman from before.

¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jen tried standing, but a small barrier dome impeded his movement, ¡°What?¡±

It was then that Jen noticed the woman was wearing armour of a similar design to the other three oracles, save the fact that hers was brown in colour, ¡°A system oracle?¡±

¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The young woman said, holding both hands in front of her in prayer style. Before Jen could speak, he smelled something. Growing faint, darkness overcame him as his air supply was depleted. The young woman walked over and knelt down, checking Jen. He was still breathing, but was unconscious.

¡°Please forgive me.¡± she whispered, standing. Leaving the room, she locked the door.

¡°There you are.¡± The young woman turned round to find a pair of cool blue eyes looking at her. Kei smiled, ¡°I wonder what would interest you in such a room?¡±

¡°Nothing, just watching the sky.¡± The young woman replied quickly, backing away slightly from Kei.

¡°I¡¯m hurt. You don¡¯t like me?¡± Kei whined.

¡°N-no¡­¡± The woman stuttered, trying not to look at Kei in the eye. Swiftly Kei strode forward, pinning the woman against the wall and forcing a kiss onto her lips. She resisted at first, but slowly the woman¡¯s eyes went blank. Parting, Kei looked at the young woman lustfully, ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±

The woman¡¯s head slumped forward, lips slightly parted, face blank.

The GISB troops weren¡¯t holding out very well against the terrorists¡¯ WNS, especially since they had no form of shield now. Mei was bent over Duo, praying that he was alright. Chi was sitting nearby, also looking worriedly at Duo.

¡°Duo¡­¡± she had removed Duo¡¯s helm, his head resting on her lap. His eyes were shut, but fluttered after a moment. Groaning, Duo looked up into the ocean blue eyes of the system navigator.

¡°It¡¯s good to wake up seeing an angel¡¯s face.¡± Duo said absentmindedly, causing Mei to blush.

The exo-shell was advancing forward, a legion of WNS behind it. A hammer crackling with electricity flew over just then, crashing into the metallic creature. It tumbled backwards, legs thrashing around madly as it tried to get back up. The hammer flew back to thor, and Rio caught it. Rika, Banks, Fio, Maya and Sora ran forward, weapons drawn.

¡°Stop flirting and be of some use.¡± Rika shouted at Duo, tone slightly disgusted. Duo chuckled and sat up.

¡°Go ahead. Mei. Chi.¡±

¡°But¡­¡±

¡°Don¡¯t want our ice queen to be angry now would we?¡±

¡°I HEARD THAT!¡± Rika shouted, forcefully stabbing a pike into an unlucky WNS in the way. Mei sweatdropped. Duo however was smiling about something. Chi just looked on, confused.

¡°Is something going on between you and Rika?¡± Chi asked, puzzled.

¡°Maybe.¡± Duo muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He stood and took back guardis¡¯ helm, ¡°Armour down 50%, but looks like the suit¡¯s still hanging in there. Let¡¯s go!¡±

The three joined the fray and the remaining GISB troops and cyber angels began fighting back the terrorists with renewed spirits.

With a lurch, the exo-shell finally managed to stand. Spotting Sora nearby, it launched one of its arms directly at him.

_Look out!_

Sora turned round as Eliza shouted in his mind. He side-stepped the projectile as it slammed on to the ground. Using his axe, Sora severed the cable that attached the arm to the main body and grabbed it. The exo-shell and Sora were locked in a tug-of-war, neither relenting.

¡°Some support would be good right about now.¡± Sora muttered through the intercom. Rika and Banks answered by swiftly running forward, stabbing the exo-shell with their respective weapons. Electricity sizzled from the exo-shell as it began to jerk about randomly. Chi warped in her plasma cannon and opened fire, catching the exo-shell in a steady beam of energy. It was hurled backwards, crashing into the wall, joints snapping and limbs falling apart. It crumbled to the floor, destroyed.

Sora and the others had finished off the rest of the terrorists soon after, and the GISB troops and security guards were now handcuffing them. Sora looked around him, sensing something amiss.

¡°Are the UED officials safe?¡±

¡°They¡¯ve been transported away from here already.¡± 

¡°Chi, where¡¯s Jen?¡± Sora asked.

¡°He went searching for the source of the force field.¡±

¡°The barrier¡¯s down.¡± Maya called from the main entrance. Something swept over the oracles then.

_Sister!_

Sora heard Eliza¡¯s cry in his mind.

¡°Massive energy readings above the UED building!¡± Mei alerted the group. As one they flew out and up, just as a large jump hole appeared in the sky. Numerous M-19 battleships appeared, waves of WNS flying out of them.

All the battleships focused their main guns on a single spot on the UED building¡¯s square. They fired simultaneously, rocking the entire area with numerous explosions.

¡°HQ, do you read? We need backup over here at the UED building A.S.A.P.!¡± Rio shouted over the intercom over the noise.

¡°This is Chikage, what¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Jen?¡±

¡°No time to explain. Just send all GISB troops over here now!¡±

¡°Got it.¡±

Maniacal laughter echoed in the cyber angel¡¯s ears as all turned upwards. Two customized WNS were hovering side-by-side. One was white in colour, holding a fencing saber in one hand. On its back were two discs that glowed with bluish energy. It¡¯s companion, a deep blue WNS, held a much larger blade, a spear-like construct fitting on its left shoulder.

¡°Interesting. I never expected you all to make it this far.¡± The white WNS said.

¡°Who the hell are you?¡±

¡°Reap and Ellison Valmont, the Valmont Brothers.¡± the blue WNS said, before laughing manically, ¡°Bro, mind if I got rid of them?¡±

¡°Be my guest.¡±

¡°Cool!¡± The spear-shaped construct on the blue WNS began crackling with blue energy as it was swung to point at Sora, ¡°Catch!¡±

A blue bolt shot forward. Sora had no time to dodge so raised his axe to block the shot. Duo recognized the weapon though.

¡°Get out of the way Sora!¡±

It was too late however, as the blue bolt collided with Sora. He could hear Eliza screaming in pain inside of him as he fell, crashing onto the top of the UED building. The other cyber angels stared stunned at what just happened.

¡°Like my cancel ray? It corrupts any data it touches, hence rendering it useless.¡± The blue WNS, who was Ellison, said with glee.

¡°Your friends are probably dead,¡± The white WNS, Reap, added, ¡°you¡¯ll be joining him soon enough though.¡±

The WNS began firing again. The cyber angels tried their best to cope, but there was simply too many.

¡°Ma¡¯am! How soon till the backup arrives?¡±

¡°E.T.A. five minutes.¡±

¡°We don¡¯t have five minutes!¡± Duo grunted, dodging fire from the WNS. Even with two oracles on their side it proved to be difficult dealing with the terrorist group. A hail of bullets suddenly tore themselves through the terrorist¡¯s ranks as countless WNS were disabled.

¡°What?¡± Ellison and Reap spun round. When Sora had landed, a cloud of dust rose. Now, as the particles settled, the black form of seeker could be seen by all. Even if the cyber angels already know how the suit looked like, with Sora in it, the sense of power and command emanating from seeker seemed to go up a notch. Though the visor was broken, seeker still looked fearsome, carrying two sets of dual gatling buster cannons. Raising both weapons, seeker fired, tearing through the masses of WNS like nothing. The blank look on Sora¡¯s face was unnerving.

¡°Why isn¡¯t he moving?¡± Duo asked.

¡°You idiot,¡± Rika scolded, ¡°look closely.¡±

Eliza was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. The two other sisters knew what Sora intended to do instantly.

¡°He wasn¡¯t joking when he said he¡¯d protect us no matter what.¡± Fio muttered.

¡°Neh¡­ he really is one of a kind.¡± Maya added.

A sudden sonic boom was heard as _Éclair _shot past, laser cannons blazing. A few WNS were destroyed in a manner of seconds. Numerous launch ships came into view also, and GISB troops began flying out of them, engaging the terrorist group.

¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re back in business.¡± Duo said. Several WNS had broke off from the main force to repair the cyber angels¡¯ suits. The tables had been turned in GISB¡¯s favour, but little did they know of the terrorists¡¯ true intentions.

¡°How long till the canons can be fired again?¡± Reap asked through his intercom.

¡°About four minutes, sir.¡±

¡°Alright then,¡± Reap grinned, ¡°Time to have some fun.¡±

The discs on the white WNS¡¯ back began to glow brighter. Seconds later, hedgehogs erupted from them.

¡°Look out!¡± Rika cried as a web of energy was thrown over them. A considerable number of the hedgehogs were headed for Sora and Eliza. Without a second thought Sora flung himself onto the young girl. Searing energy burned through seeker, grazing Sora¡¯s bare flesh. It was then that Eliza¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Seeing Sora so close to her, she blushed, but she was horrified when she saw him smoking.

¡°Sora!¡±

Without a word Sora ejected both his gatling cannons and lifted Eliza into his arms. Thrusters to full, he flew towards the two other oracles.

¡°Take care of her,¡± he said simply, before drawing both laser sabers from his back, turning to face Ellison and Reap.

¡°Trying to act as the hero are we?¡± Reap sneered. Ellison laughed and readied his blade.

¡°Who¡¯s funding you?¡± Sora asked.

¡°Our client¡¯s identity will not be disclosed, but know that they are beyond this world.¡±

¡°And I have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,¡± Sora said dryly.

¡°Huh? Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis?¡±

¡°No, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. With a c, not a k.¡±

¡°What¡®s wrong with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis?¡±

¡°Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, the one with the c, looks better.¡±

¡°I still think k looks better.¡±

¡°C.¡±

¡°K.¡±

¡°C!¡±

¡°K!¡±

They began exchanging blows after a lengthy verbal fight.

Author¡¯s Interlude

Sweatdrops Pryce: Umm¡­. What¡¯s pneumonoulblasiliwhateverosis?

FFC: Dunno¡­

Pryce crashed to the floor, then got back up in a flash

Pryce: Then how do I know of such a word then?

FFC: My friends did that.

Pryce: And?

FFC: It sounded hilarious, so I just left it in.

Pryce: Okay¡­

FFC: Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll write a normal section. You sound too out of character with that line. Besides, you don¡¯t have some breathing problem caused by inhaling volcano ashes.

Pryce: That¡¯s what it is?

FFC: From what my friends told me, yeah. They read through the entire dictionary to find the longest word apparently.

sweatdrops Pryce: You have some unique friends¡­

¡°Trying to act as the hero are we?¡± Reap sneered. With a wave of his hand, WNS flew into view and began raining lead on them. Fio dodged the attack and flew back, Eliza safe in her arms. Sora on the other hand charged forward, energy bursting forth from his laser sabers. Thrusters to full, seeker hurtled past in a blur, laying waste to any WNS in its way with quick slashes. A blue WNS appeared out of nowhere and Sora got out of the way just in time as a large blade swiped past, cleaving the head of an unlucky WNS in the way. Seeker immediately engaged Ellison in an all out battle.

¡°So not even the lives of your own men mean anything to you?¡± Sora said, catching the blue WNS in a deadlock with his weapon. Ellison chuckled.

¡°They¡¯re there for us to use in the first place, Seeker.¡±

Sora was caught off guard by the last word, Ellison quickly using that to his advantage by pushing him backwards. Blue energy sparkled on his shoulder weapon, and a blue bolt shot forth. It grazed seeker¡¯s armour as Sora rolled away, but a biting pain burst across his back just then. The white WNS zipped past, and hovered next to his brother. Sora panted hard. Seeker was badly damaged as it already was. As the battle raged on around them, the three faced-off.

¡°Surprising, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reap said, ¡°How we known of your origin?¡±

Sora remained silent, bowing his head. Ellison snickered.

¡°You had immeasurable powers, yet you chose to give them up. What a pity. Personally I would have conquered the world and crowned myself king.¡±

¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Sora asked, realising that the terrorists didn¡¯t seem to have minded the fact that the UED committee was now safe and sound, out of their reach.

¡°The tree of life,¡± Reap sneered, ¡°All ships, fire at the same spot again!¡±

As one the battleships fired their main cannons, piercing the cratered the ground. Instead of explosions this time though, the ground simply shattered into scraps of data, revealing a river flowing with a multi-coloured substance that radiated with light.

¡°What in the world is that?¡± Rika exclaimed, stunned. A voice sounded through Rio¡¯s intercom.

¡°Protect it all costs.¡±

¡°General Herald sir?¡± Rio asked quizzically.

¡°There is no time to explain right now, but know that the matrix¡¯s stability and existence relies on the thing that you see now.¡±

¡°I understand sir.¡± Rio opened a channel to all troops there, ¡°Target the battleships! They have to be stopped!¡±

¡°Roger!¡±

The demolition battalion were more than happy to oblige: shooting fast-moving targets weren¡¯t really up to their tastes. Numerous rockets, energy beams, and flak flew towards the closest battleship, and it exploded into a huge fireball, scattering surrounding WNS. The cyber angels and other two battalions of the WNS army paved the way for the demolitionists as they approached their next victim. Oddly, Reap and Ellison didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by this.

¡°Should we tell?¡± Ellison asked, laughing like a hyena. Reap merely chuckled. As shells and energy rays flew towards the next battleship, a fury of explosions cascaded across a transparent force field, protecting the ships from harm. The terrorists¡¯ WNS opened fire, their own bullets flying through the barrier and shredding the first line of GISB troops.

¡°That again?¡± Rio exclaimed, dodging gun fire. She threw her hammer towards the shield, but it simply bounced off. The three oracles sensed something then.

On the roof of the UED building, a girl clad in brown armour stood, head bowed. Next to her stood a handsome young man who wore a long trench coat, a shirt, a pair of long pants, a belt hung loosely round his waist, and a pair of laced boots. His entire dress apparel was black, save the coat which was deep blue. His hair was black, eyes blue in colour.

¡°Stop fooling around, or my superior will be upset.¡± Kei said, crossing his arms.

¡°Fooling around? What fun is there in just killing them in the first place?¡± Ellison snorted. Kei grinned.

¡°I like your style, but still, there are limits.¡± he cautioned, turning his gaze towards Sora, ¡°ah, so you¡¯re the one my superior spoke of.¡±

A shield flickered round seeker and began shrinking. Sora looked at Kei, eyes narrowed.

¡°You¡¯ve been quite a hindrance to our operations, Seeker.¡±

Sora raised both laser sabers and attempted to resist the shield, but nothing came out of it save violent sparkles of energy.

¡°It must be a pain looking after all these humans isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll take over from now on.¡±

¡°Should I even let you?¡± Sora muttered as the shield slowly crushed seeker.

¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

¡°Sora!¡± Maya tried moving over, but a carpet of lead blocked her path as the terrorists¡¯ WNS flew into view.

¡°Die!¡° Ellison laughed. Seeker¡¯s armour groaned in protest as the shield tightened round Sora, and in a matter of seconds began to crumple. Without warning the brown clad oracle raised her hand. She pulled it back down soon after, causing the shield encasing seeker to plummet downwards, crashing into the ground forty stories down. Everyone was stunned.

¡°SORA!¡± Fio cried, but no answer came. Everyone seemed to have lost heart in the battle then.

Kei laughed, ¡°So the fearsome seeker has been finally killed. Such a shame, he would have been a potential commander if he joined us.¡±

¡°You regret killing him already?¡± Reap commented.

¡°Not really. Just saying it was a waste, even if he was useless in the first place.¡±

When it seemed that all hope was lost, the ground below the brown clad oracle suddenly erupted, throwing her off balance. The shield protecting the terrorists instantly faded.

¡°Alright!¡± Rio shouted. Realising that perhaps there was still a chance, the GISB troops launched their offensive yet again. In a flash, another ship was down for the count. Kei spun round as raven emerged from the hole.

¡°Jen!¡±

Jen smiled, readying his blades, ¡°Looks like I got here just in time.¡± he then switched to a private communications channel, ¡°Sis, destroy those ships while I keep him occupied.¡±

¡°Roger.¡±

Kei looked momentarily stunned, but composed himself soon after, ¡°Humph. It doesn¡¯t matter. One more person makes no difference.¡±

¡°Try me then.¡±

Wasting no more time raven charged forward, nimbly slashing at Kei. With unreal speed he dodged all the attacks, a sword materializing in his own hand as he caught Jen¡¯s weapons in a deadlock.

¡°Just who the hell are you in the first place?¡± Jen said through gritted teeth.

¡°Kei.¡± Kei replied simply, flinging raven away. Jen didn¡¯t give up and immediately went back on the offensive. Kei smiled, ¡°Persistent, aren¡®t you?¡±

Jen managed to score a hit, but Kei just looked at the cut on his hand. Blood began seeping from the wound as he licked it.

¡°You¡¯re quite a good swordsman.¡±

¡°The name¡¯s Jen.¡±

Kei smiled and thrust his injured hand forward. A bolt of lightning shot forth, catching Jen off guard and electrocuting raven. Jen grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, but had no time to recuperate as Reap and Ellison were upon him. Repeatedly he was struck, raven sustaining heavy damages.

¡°Bro!¡± Rio cried.

¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Jen shouted. Rio could only watch helplessly as he was assaulted by the Valmont brothers mercilessly. Forcing back tears she turned to the others, ¡°Destroy those ships now!¡±

¡°Roger!¡± Quickly the GISB troops sprung back into action.

Meanwhile, the brown clad oracle was sitting on the floor, still stunned from the fall. She watched as Jen continued fighting the Valmont brothers, her blank eyes flickering ever so slightly.

¡°Watch closely, Peroth,¡± Kei said, walking over to her, ¡°How humans always fight among themselves for power and control. It¡¯s pathetic.¡±

The brown clad oracle, Peroth, did what she was told, but something nagged at the back of her mind. That WNS looked familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. With a demonic smiled, Kei shot forth a bolt of lightning, hitting Jen full force and hurling him into a nearby wall. Raven¡¯s helm shattered, blood following in Jen¡¯s wake as he fell forward, unconscious. Peroth immediately recognized Jen¡¯s silvery white hair, her eyes reverting back into their rightful light violet colour.

¡°Should we finish him?¡± Ellison asked.

¡°By all means do so.¡± Kei said casually, crossing his arms. Laughing his feral laugh, Ellison hurtled forward together with Reap. As their weapons came close to cleaving Jen however, an invisible shield crackled round him, flinging the two back.

¡°What?¡± before Kei could react, another shield appeared round him. Peroth looked up at him, anger apparent in her eyes.

¡°Why did you make me do what I did?¡± she said as the shield began shrinking. Kei cursed under his breath as he tried in vain to break the shield. He smiled all of a sudden.

¡°Fine. You win this round, but in the end, you¡¯ll be mine. Remember that.¡± a black mist surrounded Kei, and he disappeared just as the shield crushed inwards.

Quickly, Peroth flew over to Jen, pulling him up into her arms. He was unconscious, bleeding slightly.

¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Peroth whispered, tears glistening in her eyes, ¡°If only I wasn¡¯t so weak¡­¡±

The other three oracles noticed the change in their sister¡¯s state, and turned to look at her, relieved. What they saw horrified them.

¡°Peroth!¡±

Peroth looked up just as Reap and Ellison came bearing down on her and Jen, clearly put off by her sudden interference. Peroth screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for impact. She didn¡¯t notice the figure darting between them though. A brief of flash occurred, and standing with both laser sabers locked with the Valmont brothers¡¯ weapons, was a teal-eyed man with raven black hair. Everyone recognized the battered but still functional WNS suit seeker.

¡°Sora?¡±

¡°It¡¯s not possible!¡± Reap hissed. Had it not been the helm anyone would have seen his shocked expression. Peroth looked up at the young man.

¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± she whispered, ¡°but how¡­?¡±

Without a word he, presumably Sora, broke the lock he held with the two Valmont brothers and flung them backwards. Thrusters to full he shot forward after them, and a furious duel ensued. Even if the odds were against him, Sora held up quite well, dealing blow for blow.

¡°Damn!¡± Ellison cursed. Other WNS caught in their way were instantly destroyed by a fury of blades as the three continued to duel it out. Reap signaled secretly to his brother, indicating that he had a plan.

¡°So you think you¡¯re so great now?¡± Reap taunted, a temporary ceasefire in place as he and Sora hovered in midair, facing each other. Sora remained silent, head bowed, eyes hidden from view.

¡°Cat got your tongue, Seeker?¡± Reap continued, smirking.

¡°When all this is over,¡± Sora finally spoke, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±

¡°Probably spend the rest of our lives on a private island, living as luxurious as we are able to with the assets my client has promised us,¡± Reap said casually, ¡°Why bother asking when you already know that this world is driven by money?¡±

¡°I just wanted to see for myself¡­¡± Sora looked up, teal eyes fixed on Reap, ¡°¡­how disillusioned you really are.¡±

A shadow loomed over Sora as Ellison appeared behind him, blade raised. Seeker dodged the cleave just in time.

¡°Sir, the cannons are ready to be fired.¡± Reap¡¯s intercom sounded.

¡°Good,¡± Reap turned to his brother, ¡°Ellison! It¡¯s time we retreated.¡±

¡°Aw¡­ and I was having so much fun¡­¡±

¡°Looks like we¡¯ve won, Seeker.¡± Reap remarked, ¡°All remaining ships, open fire!¡±

Even if the GISB troops were cleaning out the battleships, there was still a large amount of them functional to do considerable damage. In addition, no one knew how the multi-coloured river would hold against such an attack.

¡°Damn it!¡± Duo cursed. The wing-like structures on guardis¡¯ back broke apart and formed a wide area shield just in time as the array of beam projectiles came hurtling down. Duo flinched and struggled to maintain a hold on the shield as the beams beat down on it relentlessly.

¡°Get out of there Duo!¡± Rika screamed through the intercom, ¡°Your suit can¡¯t take much more damage!¡±

¡°If we ran, we¡¯d be goners anyway.¡± Duo said through gritted teeth. The system navigators flew over and tried to reinforce the shield, but that only delayed the inevitable by mere moments.

Peroth watched from the roof of the UED building, Jen clutched in her arms. Sora landed in front of her, and she bowed her head.

¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

¡°Everyone¡¯s weak in this world.¡± Sora said, causing Peroth to look up, ¡°If you want to protect the ones you cherish, fight with us.¡±

¡°Protect the ones I¡­ cherish?¡± Peroth repeated, looking past Sora to her sisters, including Eliza who had come to, who were helping to maintain the shield. Her eyes fell back on Jen. She bit her lower lip, hesitant.

¡°So?¡± Peroth looked up into Sora¡¯s eyes. He continued, ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡±

¡°I¡­ will protect the ones I love and care for. Always.¡± Peroth said finally, determined. Sora smiled softly.

¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said, extending his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

Back in the air, guardis¡¯ shield began to flicker violently, cracks forming on the translucent surface rapidly.

¡°We can¡¯t hold it much longer!¡± Maya shouted.

¡°The rest of you go already, I¡¯ll hold the shield for as long as I can for you to escape,¡± Duo said, perspiring profusely, ¡°Give the call to retreat.¡±

¡°And leave you here? No!¡± Rio shot back, channeling her own suit¡¯s energy through Banks to help maintain the shield. Rika followed suit through Mei. Duo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m one hell of a lucky guy.¡±

¡°This is no time to crack-¡± Rika¡¯s words were cut short as the shield shattered, a blanket of searing energy fast approaching the cyber angels and GISB troops.

¡°Keep on firing!¡± Ellison said, laughing insanely, ¡°Kill them all!¡±

The beam projectiles hit the multi-coloured river, and a fury of explosions engulfed it. As the blinding light fade however, the river remained as it was. A shield wavered with different shades of green on the river¡¯s surface, several brown circular objects seemingly the source of the shield, a green crystal embedded on each of their centers with three studs on spaced equally on their edges.

¡°What¡­ happened?¡± Rio asked, surprised as she realised that she hand¡¯t been killed. Everyone seemed unscathed also.

¡°It¡¯s a shield.¡± Fio said, examining the discs embedded on the greenish apparition, she recognized it, ¡°Peroth?¡±

Looking around them, Eliza was the first one to spot someone hovering above them all. With a brown chest plate, leggings that clutched onto his lower legs, a set of armlets, and a buckler attached to his right arm, Sora had yet again merged with an oracle. His armour was brown in colour, carved with golden symbols and trimmings. He also wore an open helm, front tip fashioned like an eagle¡¯s beak. The helm was brown also, with a lighter translucent brown visor covering his eyes. A block jutted out from either of his shoulder plates, and as the discs flew back, they divided themselves each to a block, forming a pair of curved constructs behind Sora. There were ten discs in total, which means an odd five for each curved construct. In Sora¡¯s arms he carried the unconscious Jen.

_This feels¡­ strange._

¡°Please bear with it.¡± Sora muttered as he hovered down to the others.

¡°Sora!¡±

¡°Take care of Jen.¡± Sora said quietly, handing him over to Duo, ¡°Give the order to retreat to a safe distance, Rio. You¡¯ve already done enough.¡±

Nodding, Rio gave the order. GISB troops and _Éclair_ flew off to a safe distance, just out of range of the battlefield.

¡°Why can¡¯t you just die?¡± Reap said, pupils contracting menacingly. As Sora turned round, masses of WNS began pumping lead at him furiously. Raising the buckler, a shield formed round Sora, deflecting all the shells. Hurtling forward, Sora crashed through the ranks of WNS, weaving in and out of the gunfire to the nearest battleship. Laser fire began bombarding Sora as the ship¡¯s turrets homed in on his location. They failed to realise that the discs on Sora¡¯s back had disengaged, a small energy blade forming at the studs on each of them as they began to spin rapidly, shredding through the ship¡¯s hull, a series of explosions following in their wake as another ship fell. Bursting forth from the fiery explosions Sora immediately headed towards the next closest ship, it suffering from the same fate as its predecessor.

¡°Sir! We can¡¯t get a lock on his coordinates!¡± An urgent voice said through the intercom of Reap¡¯s WNS. He cursed under his breath.

¡°Are the main cannons ready?¡±

¡°They¡¯re only 50% cooled sir.¡±

¡°Fire them now!¡±

¡°But sir-¡±

¡°I don¡¯t care! Fire in the general direction of that WNS! Bring it down!¡±

¡°Yes sir.¡±

Peroth was the first to notice that the cannons were being charged as yet another battleship exploded.

_Sora!_

Sora recalled all his discs and formed a shield around him just as the beam projectiles came. They bounced off the shield, dissipating into nothing. Nonetheless, the battleships continued to fire their main cannons. Unfortunately some of the ships couldn¡¯t take the excessive amount of heat, and hence imploded. Sora¡¯s shield on the other hand seemed to gain energy, glowing brightly after a while. As the terrorists¡¯ beam attacks slowly subsided, a new array of lasers burst forth, their origin from the green crystals on all ten of Sora¡¯s discs. To put it short, hedgehogs were running rampant, slicing through anything in the way.

¡°DAMN YOU!¡± Ellison screamed, successfully dodging the hedgehogs and hurtling forth. He attempted to slash Sora, but he was too nimble and dodged the frantic attacks. The discs were now connected in a row with energy chains to Sora¡¯s buckler. Throwing it forward, Sora managed to coil it round Ellison, trapping him. The blade fell from his hand, plummeting to the multi-coloured river below where it was instantly consumed. Reap appeared behind Sora all of a sudden, blade raised. His attack never came as Sora spun round, hurling Ellison into Reap, causing them to crash onto the UED building¡¯s roof top. Sora flew after them, eight discs returning to their original place as the remaining two went forward, each forming a shield around one of the two Valmont brothers. The remaining terrorist forces were easy picking for the GISB troops and cyber angels after that, seeing both their leaders captured.

¡°What the hell are you?¡± Reap managed to spit out, struggling to stand in his heavily damaged WNS. Sora had landed in front of the two, and raising his left hand, a holographic image of GISB¡¯s emblem flickered into view.

¡°GISB. You are under arrest for disturbing the peace and security of the matrix.¡± Sora said as in the background, GISB troops rounded up the last of the terrorist forces.

Somewhere else, Valdez was looking at the scene through what appeared to be an orb. Smiling, he turned and walked out of the room.

¡°It has finally begun.¡±

**Author¡¯s Ramble**

FFC is skittering across the keyboard of his laptop as Pryce appears on the chair behind him

Pryce: I just realised you tend to write shorter chapters when you include fighting scenes.

FFC: I guess so. There really isn¡¯t much point in writing that the bad guys bash you up, say some fancy philosophical evil speech, then somehow loses to the half dead good guy.

Sweatdrops Pryce: You made me fall forty stories¡­

FFC: It¡¯s fifty, if you counted how high you were in the sky.

Pryce: And?

FFC: You¡¯ll have to wait for the next few chapters to understand. Notice that I didn¡¯t write how you survived that fall, and how in the past chapters I indicated that you would die if you fell from that high?

Pryce: Now that you mentioned it. I guess¡­

FFC: There you have it. I¡¯ll churn out the next chapter as soon as possible.

Peroth appears

FFC: Oh, hi Peroth.

Peroth: There doesn¡¯t seem to be any copyrights around¡­

FFC: Oh, now I remember what¡¯s missing! both Pryce and Peroth sweatdrop Thanks for reminding me. I¡¯ll write down a list of all the things I have used so far in the story from other games and animes then:

(In no particular order)

Starcraft

Hellsing

Gundam Wing

Ragnarock Online

Sister Princess

Vandread

Pretear

Half-Life

Halo

Evangelion

Final Fantasy 7

Serial Experiments Lain

Metal Slug

Card Captor Sakura

Kiddy Grade

FFC: That¡¯s all I can remember for now. Their companies have the copyrights, so don¡¯t sue me. Oh, and Gonzo rocks.

Peroth: How about us? Where did we come from?

FFC: The oracles are based on a set of pictures I found on the net. I¡¯d appreciate it if anyone of you out there could tell me which anime or game these girls come from. I suspect the title starts with a P. Anyways, till the next chapter, ciao.


	8. Chapter 7

FFC: What made me write this? I dunno¡­

(Sweatdrops) Pryce: Then why did you bother posting it?

FFC: Cos¡­ it¡¯s a chapter.

Pryce: Right¡­ anyway, FFC doesn¡¯t own anything that isn¡¯t his. Don¡¯t sue.

FFC: You¡¯ll only get your lawyers back in an urn.

Pryce: Huh?

FFC: Destructive family. *holds portable vacuum to head¡­ somehow* when I pull this trigger, I shall become a clean man. Don¡¯t try to stop me!

Pryce: Okay¡­ -_-;

**Chapter 7**

_The sky outside was gloomy, clouds a solid grey, threatening to rain. A young girl was standing at the window, hands pressed against the cold glass pane. She had red hair, crystal green eyes looking up into the sky disappointedly._

_¡°There you are, Rio.¡± a voice came from behind her. Turning, she came face to face with young man with silvery white hair and blood red eyes. He looked about twenty, four years older than the girl._

_¡°Jen.¡±___

_¡°Is something wrong?¡± the young man, Jen, asked, sitting down next to the young __Rio__._

_¡°Whenever Paul says that he¡¯s coming back home, it always rains¡­¡± __Rio__ said, frowning. Jen smiled and patted his sister¡¯s head._

_¡°He always keeps his promises, doesn¡¯t he?¡±_

_¡°Yes¡­¡± __Rio__ muttered, gazing up into the sky yet again, ¡°but he¡¯s late this time.¡±_

_A few moments later, the clicking sound of a lock and a door creaking open indicated that someone had entered the house._

_¡°Paul!¡± Rio said excitedly, running out of the room to greet their eldest brother. Jen followed her, and found a man at the door, taking off his wet coat. He had silvery white hair, eyes an emerald green. A young woman was beside him, running her hands through her medium length red hair which fell freely about her, going well with her violet eyes._

_¡°__Miss.__ Coronation?¡±__ Jen asked, surprised. The woman smiled._

_¡°Call me Chikage, Jen.¡± she said, unbuttoning her own coat._

_¡°Now wouldn¡¯t that be rude?¡± Paul teased as he took Chikage¡¯s coat and deposited it and his on the coat stand nearby, ¡°though I guess those two will get used to that.¡± he added. Chikage blushed lightly._

_¡°Paul? What¡­¡± Jen began, but it was then that he realised that there was a golden ring on Chikage¡¯s finger, sparkling with a beautiful diamond._

_¡°Did you¡­?¡± __Rio__ asked, unable to suppress her excitement as she noticed the ring also. Paul gave no answer, save by pressing his lips against Chikage¡¯s, catching the young woman off guard. As they parted, Chikage was a brilliant red, mouth slightly ajar in shock. Paul couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her expression._

_¡°Paul¡­¡± Chikage muttered._

_¡°The look on your face was priceless.¡± Paul said, causing Chikage to pout slightly as she turned away. Paul caught her chin and brought her back to face him, ¡°but anything about you is priceless in my eyes.¡±_

_The couple¡¯s moment was interrupted rudely by Jen¡¯s gagging sounds disguised poorly as ¡®light¡¯ coughing. __Rio__ smacked him left and right for that._

_¡°Jen!¡±__Rio__ hissed, before turning to her eldest brother and wife-to-be, ¡°When¡¯s the wedding?¡±_

_¡°We haven¡¯t really decided on a date, but it¡¯ll be as soon as possible, because¡­¡± Paul whispered something to Chikage which caused her to slap him in slight indignation, cheeks red. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what Paul said, but some things are better off left unspoken._

Jen awoke with a throbbing headache, facing what seemed to be a whitewashed ceiling. Silence was his only companion, and it seemed that he was alone.

¡°Jen?¡± Turning slightly, Jen came face to face with a brunette, soft violet eyes looking at him worriedly.

¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Jen said, looking round. He felt stiff, but was able to take in the surroundings, it appearing to be a patient¡¯s room of the hospital Sora was previously admitted to.

¡°Umm¡­¡± Jen¡¯s eyes fell on the brunette yet again as she began to speak. She had her hands on her lap in a cute feminine fashion, her expression sad and slightly pained, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I got you into this state.¡±

¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Jen pointed out, ¡°They made you do it, didn¡®t they?¡±

Peroth bowed her head, ¡°They said that if I didn¡¯t obey them, they would harm my sisters¡­¡±

¡°But they did anyway,¡± Jen finished for her, causing the brunette to clench her hands even harder.

¡°I didn¡¯t really catch your name last time¡­¡± Jen decided to change the subject. As he tried sitting, Jen flinched as pain shot through his entire body. He felt something warm close to him, and realised it was the brunette. Her delicate face was angelic-like, what seemed to be a natural perfume invading Jen¡¯s senses with a unique fragrance. Jen felt drowsy, somehow, staring into those eyes of hers and feeling her so close.

¡°Your injuries haven¡¯t fully recovered yet.¡± she pointed out, seemingly oblivious to the effect she had on Jen as she held him.

¡°Yeah¡­¡± the cyber angel captain mumbled, trying to shake himself of the strange sensation, ¡°Err¡­ what was your name?¡±

Jen felt like slapping himself for how idiotic he seemed to have sounded as the words stumbled out of his mouth. The brunette however smiled brightly, making Jen feel lightheaded.

¡°Peroth.¡±

¡°That¡¯s¡­ a nice name.¡±

The door creaked open and Fio appeared at the doorway.

¡°Peroth, you should really¡­¡± her words strayed as she saw the two. In a flash her face turned scarlet.

¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Fio said, spinning round, ¡°Am I disturbing the two of you?¡±

It was then that Peroth and Jen realised that they were in a rather¡­ awkward position, bodies literally rubbing against each other, faces just inches apart. Turning brilliant shades of red, the two separated. Jen however had forgotten he was in rather bad shape, yelping in pain as he fell back onto the bed.

¡°Jen!¡± Both Peroth and Fio exclaimed. Jen grinned slightly.

¡°I¡¯m alright, I guess.¡± the two girls relaxed a bit.

¡°The others will be relieved when they hear you¡¯ve come through,¡± Fio said, smiling.

¡°I¡¯ll go get them.¡± Peroth said, standing. It was apparent that she was uncomfortable with what had just happened, disappearing quickly out of the door. Jen sighed.

¡°Would you like a glass of water?¡± Fio asked.

¡°Sure,¡± Jen replied, ¡°how long have I been out anyway?¡± he added as Fio went about pouring the drink and handing the glass to him.

¡°It¡¯s been nearly a week,¡± Fio answered, sitting back down at the bedside, ¡°and¡­ um¡­ Jen?¡± she added hesitantly as Jen downed the water.

¡°Yes?¡±

¡°Were the two of you¡­?¡± Fio let her words hang, but Jen understood.

¡°No. She was just helping me up, that¡¯s all.¡± Jen replied calmly, having regained his composure without the presence of a particular brunette.

¡°Oh¡­¡± Fio replied, slightly disappointed.

¡°What? Is something the matter?¡± Jen asked curiously.

¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s just that,¡± Fio stammered, blushing, ¡°The two of you look good together.¡±

¡°Good?¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s just that the two of you seem to match¡­¡± Fio turned to the door as it opened. The cyber angels all piled into the room, together with the rest of the oracles.

¡°Fio! Don¡¯t tell me you were flirting with Jen?¡± Maya accused. Fio turned bright red.

¡°No!¡±

Maya giggled, ¡°Oh alright. I was just joking.¡±

Fio stood and moved aside so that the others could see how Jen was doing. As usual GISB had gotten him a get well hamper, without a card. Jen didn¡¯t mind that, since it was always the case whenever one of the cyber angels was hospitalized. Jen however did notice that Peroth wasn¡¯t present. He wondered what Fio meant by her words just now, hardly paying attention to what the others were talking about.

The said brunette was just outside, listening to the cyber angels as they chatted and laughed inside the room. Clasping both hands on her chest, she bowed her head.

¡°What was I thinking?¡± Peroth muttered to herself, confused. Footsteps echoed in the corridor as Peroth looked back up, seeing Herald, Chikage and Sora.

¡°Herald,¡± Peroth said, bowing towards the elderly man.

¡°What are you doing outside?¡± Herald asked softly, ¡°Is Jen alright?¡±

¡°It¡¯s¡­ crowded inside,¡± Peroth found herself saying, ¡°but Jen¡¯s okay.¡±

¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Chikage sighed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if he was to die.¡±

¡°Chikage?¡± Peroth asked, puzzled. Chikage merely smiled as Sora headed to the door and opened it. Herald and Chikage went in, but Peroth remained where she was.

¡°Go on Peroth,¡± Sora said quietly, holding the door open.

¡°I¡®ve been with him for almost the entire week Sora. I think¡­ that¡¯s enough.¡±

¡°For whom?¡±

Peroth opened her mouth to answer, but stopped short. Biting her lower lip, she too began to wonder. Why had she stayed with Jen all this while? Of course she felt guilty, being the cause of his current condition, but staying at his side all this while, Peroth began to feel something else. She had wanted so badly for him to open his eyes, to respond to her, and when he did, she felt happy. Could it be? Was this¡­? Peroth shook her head to clear her mind. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and smiled at Sora, before nodding. She entered the room yet again, finding everyone still chatting away.

¡°Where have you been?¡± Maya asked Peroth.

¡°I was having a chat with Sora outside.¡±

¡°EH?¡± Eliza and Maya exclaimed. Peroth smiled impishly.

¡°It¡¯s nothing really.¡±

¡°Neh? What were the two of you talking about alone?¡± Maya asked.

¡°Really, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Peroth repeated.

¡°Don¡¯t you do anything to big brother!¡± Eliza warned, taking this chance to glomp Sora ¡®protectively¡¯. Peroth giggled.

¡°Alright Eliza, just so Sora won¡¯t choke to death,¡± the others also began to laugh.

¡°Eliza!¡± Maya didn¡¯t seem very happy about what her sister did. Eliza did let go of Sora after a while though, and everyone settled down after that.

¡°Well, if it¡¯s of no real significance,¡± Herald said, ¡°I presume that there are other matters and questions which you want answers to.¡±

The room was dead silent for a moment. The first one to speak was Chikage.

¡°General, who are we really up against?¡±

¡°Not much is known about the organization we are dealing with, but we do know their name: Armageddon.¡±

¡°Armageddon?¡± Duo snorted, ¡°What? So they¡¯re a bunch of Christian fanatics?¡±

¡°Perhaps, Duo. Till now we have yet to discover their true intentions and why they had infected the oracles with such a virus. Every possibility is still feasible.¡±

¡°Have they made any demands? Money? Comrades in prison?¡± Jen asked, receiving a shake from Herald¡¯s head as the answer.

¡°We¡¯ve also identified the zombie creatures you encountered. They¡¯re organic.¡± Chikage explained.

¡°Organic? How?¡± Rio asked, shocked, like the rest.

¡°When someone dies in the matrix, a part of their soul is turned into data which normally floats about in cyberspace as unusable clusters called ¡®soul cells¡®, but when altered correctly, an effect similar to ¡®raising the dead¡¯ occurs, allowing souls to be reanimated into undead.¡±

¡°Then that means¡­¡± Banks began, ¡°¡­those things were once real humans.¡±

¡°How could they do such a thing?¡± Rika said, disgusted.

¡°Few people actually know of these data clusters, and even fewer know how to use them.¡±

¡°So we just find those who can and force some answers out of them,¡± Duo stated, stretching, ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem that hard.¡±

¡°Um¡­¡± everyone turned towards Fio who had spoken. She continued after a brief pause, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡­ happened to Sora?¡±

Silence fell. Slowly, everyone turned to look at the said boy who had remained quite still during the entire conversation, looking out of the window at a singing mockingbird.

¡°Come to think of it, he does look different.¡± Duo said. Even Chikage didn¡¯t seem to know why Sora¡¯s appearance had been altered, turning to Herald for an answer.

¡°I guess it can¡¯t be kept under wraps any longer,¡± Herald muttered, smiling. Walking forward, he stood at attention and saluted briefly towards Sora.

¡°Sora Truehearted, Project Oracle, designated first guardian of the matrix. Welcome back.¡± everyone gasped at Herald¡¯s words.

¡°What?¡± Duo sputtered, ¡°It¡¯s been over a century since the first oracle was created!¡± The others were equally stunned.

¡°Genetic engineering back then wasn¡¯t as controlled as it is today,¡± herald went on to explain, ¡°while genetically boosting Sora, the first oracle, to accommodate the large amounts of data that was to be stored in him, we somehow also gave him immortality.¡±

¡°I just don¡¯t die that easily Herald,¡± Sora corrected, turning round to face everyone, black coat sweeping round him.

Herald chuckled, ¡°Yes. It seems that way.¡±

¡°What about the story of the first oracle going berserk then?¡± Rika asked, now slightly confused, ¡°Is it true?¡±

¡°Yes, it is true, and we managed to eliminate the problem by splitting the data the first oracle had held. That was how Sora could regain his mentality.¡±

¡°Split the data? Into what?¡± Jen asked.

¡°We used several mediums to store and safeguard the latent data.¡±

¡°Our bangles.¡± Peroth answered, piecing the things together. She received a nod from Herald.

¡°True. Part of the data was encrypted onto each of the bangles the future generation oracles received. This is the most probable reason why all of you could merge with Sora, since each of you hold a component of his powers.¡±

¡°Component?¡± Fio asked.

¡°There are ten components of my powers,¡± Sora explained, ¡°The seven of you hold the components wind, earth, fire, water, metal, prismatic and darkness. The other three are foresight, eternity, and abyss.¡±

¡°Neh, what component do I hold?¡± Maya queried, pointing at herself.

¡°From what I know, Maya holds wind, Eliza holds fire, Peroth holds earth, and Fio holds prismatic.¡±

¡°Part of this data also existed in the sixth sense program GISB was developing,¡± Herald put in, ¡°That was foresight.¡±

¡°So now that program-err-component, has been absorbed by Sora?¡±

¡°Yes,¡± Sora replied.

¡°What about the oracles then? Why didn¡¯t they assimilate as a part of you?¡±

Silence. Sora bowed his head.

¡°Sora?¡±

¡°I didn¡¯t want to,¡± Sora muttered, ¡°because I would be taking lives again.¡±

An uneasy silence fell.

¡°Those people we¡¯ve fought, do they follow some sort of pattern?¡± Jen queried, changing the subject. Herald nodded in affirmation.

¡°The matrix¡¯s existence relies on a series of major data streams connected to nine collection areas called data pools. This system, coupled with the matrix mainframe, is called the tree of life, making up the basic foundation of the matrix for us to build up on with points and sectors. If this system is to be harmed,¡± Herald paused to let the information sink in, ¡°the matrix, together with everyone within it, will be erased from existence.¡±

¡°We could possibly interrogate some answers out of the two terrorist leaders we caught,¡± Chikage said, ¡°I will be heading there myself tomorrow. Jen, since you need time to recuperate, Rio will take over your captain duties for now. Get a list of all those who know how to alter soul cells and track the people down.¡±

¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± The two siblings answered.

¡°Keep in mind. Do not take the targets by force. Be as discreet as possible.¡±

¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The cyber angels answered, saluting briefly. Visiting hours were almost over, so the group began filtering out of the room. Soon, the only two persons left in the room were Jen and Sora. Jen was slightly disappointed that Peroth had not stayed a while longer. Soft footsteps broke Jen¡¯s line of thought as he turned to see Sora heading towards the door. Sora stopped when Jen called him.

¡°Sora,¡± Jen just needed to ask, ¡°What were you and Peroth doing outside, really?¡±

¡°I only asked her a question,¡± Sora replied.

¡°What question?¡±

¡°Maybe you should ask her yourself. She still hasn¡¯t given me an answer after all. Get some rest Jen. You need it. She won¡¯t be back until this afternoon though.¡±

¡°Huh? Where is she going?¡±

¡°School.¡±

¡°School?¡±

With that Sora left, letting the door click shut behind him. Jen sat there silently for a moment, before turning to the window. Sighing, he laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes, sleep taking him quickly.

Somewhere else, Valdez was sitting on what seemed like a throne, his chin propped against his left hand. Kaiser appeared from the floor.

¡°Master, I am sorry to disturb you, but¡­¡±

¡°Those two have been captured, haven¡¯t they?¡± Valdez muttered, smiling. Kaiser bowed his head.

¡°Yes, master.¡±

¡°At times like this is why I need someone like you, Kaiser,¡± Valdez said, ¡°Do what you must to silence them.¡±

Kaiser put his hand over his abdomen and bowed, ¡°As you command, master.¡±

As he disappeared through the floor yet again, Valdez raised his right hand and a black orb of energy formed in his palm, expanding into a large crystal orb as it hovered upwards. It solidified, now a translucent jet black. Valdez peered lazily into the orb, seeing three different coloured entities floating within it.

¡°So beautiful,¡± Valdez muttered, smiling lightly, ¡°but so disillusioned¡­¡±

Meanwhile, the school bell just rang and everyone took their respective seats.

¡°Neh, who¡¯ll be our new mathematics teacher?¡± Maya whispered, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Lim say that he was retiring?¡±

Fio shook her head, indicating that she didn¡¯t know. Sora remained silent as usual. Mr. Lim was one of the oldest teachers in the school, having worked for nearly fifty year here already. The door slid open and Chikage walked in. The class fell dead silent as the headmistress stood at the desk. One student gave the command and everyone stood to greet her.

¡°Good morning class. Take your seats.¡± Seeing that everyone had seated themselves Chikage continued, ¡°As you all know, your mathematics teacher, Mr. Lim, has retired after 49 years of serving this school.¡±

There was polite clapping from everyone. The noise died down after a moment for Chikage to continue.

¡°As such, we will be having a new teacher.¡±

The door slid open yet again, and a brunette stepped in, a few books clasped to her chest. Most of the boys¡¯ jaws dropped as they saw the reincarnate of a goddess move gracefully towards Chikage. As for Fio and Maya though, their jaws dropped for another reason.

¡°Sis?¡±

¡°Good morning everyone. It¡¯s nice to meet all of you,¡± Peroth said, smiling. The boys instantly melted, and the girls, well, also couldn¡¯t help feeling envious.

¡°This is Peroth Oracle. She will be joining us from today onwards,¡± Chikage continued.

Upon hearing the surname, all eyes turned to the back of the class where Fio, Maya and Sora sat.

¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t know you were in this class,¡± Peroth said, surprised.

¡°Demo, sis¡­ you¡¯re our new teacher?¡±

¡°Yes. I just graduated from Harvard, remember?¡±

¡°Oh¡­¡± Maya mumbled, ¡°I guess¡­¡±

¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll leave you to carry on with lessons then,¡± Chikage said, nodding towards Peroth before she left.

¡°Well then,¡± Peroth turned towards the class and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡±

In a jail cell somewhere, Reap and Ellison were held in tight security.

¡°Hey bro?¡± Ellison called across the small room, ¡°How long till we¡¯re busted out.¡±

¡°Just wait Ellison. He¡¯ll come,¡± Reap replied. He still had his lighter, and he was flicking it open and shut.

Ellison laughed, ¡°They¡¯ll never know what hit them.¡±

¡°Hey you,¡± the guard outside shouted, ¡°Keep quiet!¡±

Reap smirked, snapping his lighter shut.

Back at the university, the bell just rang. As soon as Fio, Maya and Peroth were gone, all the boys instantly swarmed round Sora.

¡°What?¡± Sora asked, slightly freaked at the sudden attention he was getting.

¡°Spill it,¡± Ronald said.

¡°Spill what?¡±

¡°What¡¯s up with the appearance of so many sisters? And more importantly, how many are infatuated with you?¡±

Sora sweatdropped, ¡°They just came. It has nothing to do with me.¡±

¡°Right¡­ you become a cyber angel, then all these hot chicks start appearing. We believe you¡­¡± Ronald commented, snorting.

¡°You can ask them yourselves if you want.¡±

¡°Ask what?¡± All the boys turned round to find Maya and Fio standing there.

¡°Umm¡­ nothing!¡± All the boys dispersed immediately.

¡°Neh, what were they asking Sora?¡± Maya queried as they walked over.

¡°Nothing. Where did the two of you go?¡±

¡°We went to talk to Peroth.¡±

¡°Oh.¡±

¡°What were they asking Sora?¡± Maya repeated the question. Not wanting to be pestered by the girl, Sora had to give and answer.

¡°They wanted to know how many sisters you have.¡±

Fio seem to mistake the true meaning of that question, so replied in the most direct way, ¡°Seven. Why?¡±

¡°WHAT?¡±

The effect was instantaneous. The boys had been listening in on the conversation, and hearing that there were seven of these beautiful angels, they reacted. Sora sighed. Life just got a little more troublesome. As the day progressed, a lot of boys in the school began pestering him for details on the girls, something which grew mundane and almost ritual. ¡°What three sizes are they?¡±, ¡°What do they like?¡±. ¡°What personalities do they have?¡±¡­ the questions just kept coming.

The day finally ended, and Sunday came, that finding Chikage and Sora in the limo as it cruised smoothly through the matrix towards its destination. Sora was silently watching as view outside, knowing that Chikage¡¯s eyes were set on him.

¡°Is something on your mind, Chikage?¡±

¡°I still can¡¯t believe something.¡±

¡°That I¡¯m the first oracle?¡±

¡°No.¡±

Sora turned to face Chikage, who smiled.

¡°That you still have your innocence.¡±

Sora bowed his head as he heard this words. He smiled bitterly.

¡°Innocence? I never had that to begin with.¡±

¡°We¡¯re here, Miss. Coronation.¡±

As they were speaking, the cityscape gave way to barren land. A shadow loomed in the distance, and in a few moments a large stone fortress came into view. That, was the prison known to most as ¡¯unbreakable¡¯. Sentries were posted on strategic locations, sniper scopes trained on the limo as it stopped briefly at the exterior gate. After a identity check with a guard, the heavy stone slabs grinded apart, allowing the limo passage to the interior gate. Though not as formidable by appearance, the metal gate was actually charged with a million volts of electricity 24-hours a day, the guards posted there were all required to wear isolative suits so as to protect them as they manually opened the gates. After a few more gates, the limo finally arrived at a dirt clearing, about the size of several football fields. Prisoners were lounging round a fenced in space guarded by various armed guards and exo-shells. The limo pulled up at what seemed to be the main entrance into the prison. A man was waiting outside as Chikage stepped out together with Sora and several bodyguards. The man, dressed in a warden¡¯s fashion, saluted.

¡°Good afternoon, commander.¡±

Chikage saluted briefly, before turning towards the fenced in area where the male prisoners were catcalling from.

¡°I¡¯m sorry for their¡­ behavior.¡± The warden said, bowing slightly.

¡°It¡¯s alright. Please, lead us to them.¡±

¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±

The group entered the prison, light having been cut off abruptly just two steps into the corridor. Even the lamps that dotted the ceiling were insufficient to provide much luminance. More guards joined the group as they passed through the first gate in, forming a protective circle round the warden, Chikage, and Sora with the bodyguards. After several more security checks, they reached the first block of prison cells. It was unnaturally quiet, the feeling that numerous pairs of eyes on them dominant and unnerving for those not experienced with such things. Guards were everywhere, keeping an eye on the prisoners in the multi-storied facility.

¡°How many prisoners do you have in here?¡± Chikage asked.

¡°In the four main blocks and thirty special blocks, we have a total of 510236 detainees, of which 302405 are offenders of major crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and of course terrorist activities,¡± The warden replied.

¡°What about the rest?¡± Sora asked.

¡°They¡¯re small time criminals. There aren¡¯t many prisons left in the world, this being one of the largest currently. Most law breakers are sent here no matter what crimes they commit.¡±

The group passed through the first block of cells, arriving at yet another corridor. Doors lined one side, each labeled clearly with plastic tags. The warden stopped at one with the word ¡®interrogation room 1¡¯ and opened the door.

¡°If you would, commander.¡±

Nodding, Chikage stepped into the room. It was mostly empty, save a panel of security camera screens and controls. Next to the panel was another door, and above the panel was a window which faced another room, one with a table and several chairs. Another door could be seen on the wall on the other side.

¡°One of my subordinates will be monitoring the interrogation room while you speak with the prisoners, commander. There will of course be guards accompanying you in, together with your own bodyguards.¡±

¡°I understand. It¡¯s been hard on you, warden.¡±

¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± The warden saluted and left, accompanied by two guards, to fetch the prisoners. Quietly Chikage motioned Sora to follow her into the other room. The prison guards and body guards followed suit, standing warily against the walls. Chikage took a deep breath and closed her eyes to relax. Sora chose to remain standing beside her.

¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll be able to find some things out.¡±

¡°Hopefully¡­¡±

Meanwhile, the other cyber angels had split up into pairs to make tracking down the people who knew how to modify soul cells easier. Rio was with Banks, Fio went with Mei, Peroth with Chi, Maya with Eliza, and for some ungodly reason, Rio made Duo go with Rika.

¡°What the¡­ can¡¯t I go with Mei?¡± Duo protested.

¡°Now where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Rio replied sheepishly. Duo face-faulted. He couldn¡¯t make a comeback since Rio was their current captain, and she was a persistent girl. Even Rika didn¡¯t bother arguing with her, only fuming in silence as Duo got _Éclair _up and running. To add to the frustration, Rio had gave them the list of people who lived in the most remote of areas inside and outside the matrix. The only option was to take the airship, and if they completed their job, Duo and Rika would have gone round the globe once already. Currently the two were onto their fifth name on the list in six hours. Even with an agile ship like _Éclair_, you could only cut travel time by that much. Coupled with the fact that the people the two have tracked down so far were either eccentric or just plain reclusive, meaning that conversing methods rarely got through, the tolerance between the two was starting to thin greatly.

¡°This time let me do the talking,¡± Duo said.

¡°Why?¡± Rika snapped, ¡°you¡¯d just mess everything up like with the first guy we tracked down.¡±

¡°That was an accident. How was I suppose to know he hated Queen that much?¡± anger got the better of Duo now, ¡°Besides, you were standing at one side doing practically nothing.¡±

¡°Oh, so it¡¯s my fault now?¡±

¡°Maybe. What is it to you anyway?¡±

¡°God, I hate you.¡± Rika stood and went down to the lounge without another word, leaving Duo alone on the bridge.

¡°As if I don¡¯t too,¡± Duo looked at the data on the next person they were suppose to track down. Apparently he lived in heart of Antarctica. With the constant blizzard and coldness there, _Éclair _wouldn¡¯t be able to cloak properly, so Duo would have to find a secluded area to land the airship.

¡°A.I., set a course for the nearest deserted ice cap to where target supposedly lives.¡±

The sphere blinked a few times, and Duo cursed as he realised it was going to take a while to reach their destination.

¡°Damn it,¡± Duo stretched and leaned back on his seat. He badly wanted to grab a bite, but Rika was at the lounge, so it would probably spoil his appetite. With practically nothing to do, Duo¡¯s mind began to wander to his past.

_How long has it been?_

_Three, four, five?__ That¡¯s right. Five years._

_Five years ago I was a freshman from the academy. I had taken engineering as my major, so naturally I was assigned as a mechanic onboard the battleship Repulse. The ship orbited Earth around the clock, together with its sister ships the Reconciliation, the Rebuke, the Renaissance, and the flagship Resurrection. These five atlas-class battleships act as the launching points for the global army, the Legion of Iron, in their training missions and skirmishes against terrorist activities. Since it was a demanding job, everyone rarely went back down to earth to visit relatives, not that I had many anyway._

_So, for a year I worked onboard the Repulse. Quick with my hands and wits, my superiors always said I was gifted with machines. Much of my time was spent in the hanger maintaining the ship¡¯s mechanical units or in the engine room monitoring the reflex drive and installing modifications. I formed a tight-knit group with the other mechanics. Rank didn¡¯t mean much to us, and we treated each other as equals, laughing at jokes, playing pranks. Life was great, in my eyes._

_That was, until she came._

_Word got round that there was a new nurse on board the Repulse. From those who had caught glimpses of her, apparently she was one cute gal, with medium length chocolate brown hair and yellow orange eyes._

_¡°So what¡¯d you think?¡±_

_The other mechanics and I were sitting at the makeshift table in the hanger, having a quick lunch break. The one who had spoken was a good friend of mine, Joseph. Like everyone else he wore the standard grey jumper and a pair of dirtied white gloves. He also had on a yellow bandana. Apparently he was addressing me._

_¡°Of?¡±___

_¡°That new chick in white.¡±___

_¡°Who?__ The nurse? What of her?¡±_

_If there was something I knew best, it would be Joseph¡¯s playboy nature. With baby blue eyes and light yellow hair, most of the girls on the ship found it hard to ignore him, even when they knew of his ways. Joseph smiled mischievously._

_¡°You haven¡¯t seen her yet right?¡±_

_¡°Nope, and I don¡¯t intend to until I¡¯m really messed up.¡±_

_¡°Aw, come on Duo. I know you¡¯re curious.¡±_

_¡°Right¡­ curious in what sense?¡±___

_Everyone else laughed as they got the hidden message. Joseph merely shrugged it off._

_¡°Fine then.¡±___

_¡°Guys.¡±___

_Everyone looked up to find a middle-aged man standing there, arms crossed. His hair was black, with traces of white strands. His dress code was like theirs, only that the top part of his jumper had been pulled down and tied round his waist, a deep blue shirt in its place. His eyes were also around the same colour._

_¡°Cap¡¯n¡± everyone said instantly. That was Raven, the head of the mechanics and engineers on board the Repulse. He was a good man, though a bit bossy at times, and a very dedicated mechanic._

_¡°The commander is impressed with the new drive system you¡¯ve built for the ship, but there¡®s one major problem,¡± everyone was dead silent. The group had spent months designing and building the new propulsion drive for Repulse to make it faster and more maneuverable. In was in every aspect perfect for the colossal ship. What could be wrong?_

_Raven broke into a grin just then._

_¡°He¡¯s having trouble finding a way to use all the excess energy we have now.¡±_

_Everyone burst out laughing, giving each other hearty slaps on the back and handshakes. It turned out that the drive system was too effective in recycling energy, it¡¯s main power source actually stemming from a machine called the energy converter, which, as the name suggests, converts energy from practically anything._

_As everyone continued with their cheers, I found myself face to face with Raven. Joseph noticed this and signaled everyone to quite down._

_¡°Duo Maxwell,¡± he said as he extended a hand, ¡°Good job, newbie.¡±_

_I grinned as I took his hand and firmly shook it, ¡°Thanks, Rex.¡±_

_Raven flinched at that name, ¡°I specifically told you not to call me that.¡±_

_¡°An eye for an eye, Rex,¡± I repeated, grinning as Raven winched yet again._

_¡°That¡¯s it, two rounds of the ship. Get your ass out of here now!¡± Raven shouted, extremely pissed. The others were practically rolling in laughter as I went off, grinning. Even if I had to pay dearly for my fun, it was worth it. The others were cheering for me from behind as I disappeared round the corner out of the hanger._

A soft beep brought Duo out of his reminiscence. A.I. was hovering in front of him. It was red in colour, different from its usual bluish hue. It blinked several more times, and Duo smiled.

¡°It¡¯s alright, A.I., I¡¯m fine.¡± he said softly, gently touching the orb which rippled.

Unknown to Duo however, was a pair of eyes watching him closely. The ice in the glass tinkled slightly as Rika turned round to look out of the window. Snow was falling outside, flakes drawing intricate paths in the sky. Sighing, Rika sipped her drink. The last time she had saw snow, was the day when she left for the battleship, _Repulse_¡­

_¡°Master¡¯s degree in biology, medicine, and chemistry.__ Graduated as the top student of __Labyrinth__University__.__ Served in the army for two years as a medic, but also as a sniper¡­¡± The man cocked an eyebrow as he read the report and looked up me questioningly. He had brown hair, with emerald green eyes. He wore a white coat, dark pants, and a navy blue shirt, indicating that he was a doctor. His name was Hara, the head medical officer of the battleship Repulse._

_¡°I was in the air rifle club in school,¡± I explained. Hara replied with a simple ¡®ah¡¯ before returning to the report, muttering to himself as he scanned the sheet of paper. He chuckled, before putting the clipboard away and stood._

_¡°Well then, I hope you enjoy your stay here on the Repulse.¡±_

_¡°Thank you, doctor.¡±_

_¡°Please, just call me Hara. Everyone does. Don¡¯t hesitate to ask any of the other nurses for help. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy to oblige.¡±_

_I bowed slightly, ¡°I understand.¡±_

_¡°Well then,¡± Hara looked past me and called, ¡°Renee! Come over for a while.¡±_

_A girl appeared. She was about the same age as I was, dressed in a short white one-piece dress. A tag was pinned neatly on the left side of her chest. Her hair was pink in colour, tied back in two braids. Her eyes were a light red._

_¡°Yes, Hara?¡± the girl, presumably Renee, asked._

_¡°Show Rika around would you? I¡¯ve got to run, the commander wants to hold a meeting with all the section leaders.¡±_

_¡°Okay.¡±_

_Nodding, Hara left the medical wing. Renee turned to me and smiled cheerfully, ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Renee Easting.¡±_

_¡°Mine¡¯s Rika Jun,¡± I replied automatically._

_¡°I guess we¡¯ll be working together from now on?¡± I nodded to Renee¡¯s question. First off, she took me round the medical wing, introducing me to all the rest of the nurses and staff there. She also showed me to my room, which apparently I shared with her. Already the two of us were becoming close friends._

_After changing into more comfortable clothes (walking around in a nurse¡¯s uniform on a ship wasn¡¯t that hard, but walking around in that in a ship full of males was asking for trouble), Renee and I toured the rest of the ship._

_It was then that I met him._

_Due to the long periods of time spent in space, recreational activities became important for the crew, hence the presence of recreational areas on board the battleship, including an arcade, sports facilities, a gym, and several parks. Renee and I were at one of the parks having our lunch break of packed sandwiches. Most guys had been checking us out ever since we left the medical wing._

_¡°It¡¯s normal,¡± Renee explained as she waved at several boys nearby, smiling cheerfully, ¡°We¡¯re nurses. To them, we¡¯re their lifeline.¡±_

_I could understand that, but that didn¡¯t mean I allowed staring at some places. We finished off our lunches and cleaned up, heading towards the door. The flora always ended abruptly with metallic walls, serving as a reminder that all of this wasn¡¯t natural._

_As the door slid open, someone crashed straight into me. Tumbling backwards, a pair of firm hands caught me in mid-fall. Gazing up at a pair of crystal blue eyes, I came face to face with a boy only slightly older than I was._

_¡°You alright?¡± something told me that I should be blushing, stuttering as I replied to his question with feminine shyness. However, I was more concentrated on other thing, such as where he was touching me._

_My fist cracked across his face sending him reeling and crashing into the wall. Renee, together with anyone else around, were all staring at me, stunned._

_¡°PERVERT!¡±__ I screamed, before storming out of the park with Renee at my heels._

Footsteps caught Rika¡¯s attention as Duo appeared, his growling stomach having finally forced him down.

¡°Hey,¡± Duo said less than amiably. His appetite really did diminished a bit, but nonetheless he grabbed a chocolate bar from the fridge in the open kitchen.

¡°Hi,¡± Rika replied, yawning and stretching. Duo plopped down on a sofa within reach of the fridge.

¡°Throw me one,¡± Rika found herself saying. Duo cocked an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes, ¡°A chocolate bar, you idiot.¡±

¡°Right¡­ and I thought you were on a diet?¡± Duo snorted as he took another bar from the fridge and threw it at Rika, who caught it with both hands.

¡°Can it,¡± Rika replied, ripping the wrapper open. Somehow, she just developed munchies all of a sudden. Neither of them really felt like fighting now, and silence settled for a moment or two.

¡°Say,¡± Duo began after a while, ¡°you still remember the times spent on board the _Repulse_?¡±

¡°Of course, who could forget?¡± Rika answered dryly.

_Since their first encounter with each other, all hell broke loose on board the battleship. No matter how hard they tried, the two just seemed to meet each other wherever they went. The two became quite well-known for their frequent quarrels. Even the commander had trouble controlling the two, and would often sigh in resignation when this topic was brought up. The commander could simply get rid of them, but they were the best in their trades, Rika being an efficient nurse and medical officer while Duo the whiz with machines and a skilled programmer._

_¡°YOU IDIOT!¡±___

_¡°WHAT¡¯RE YOU SCREAMING FOR? IT WAS AN ACCIDENT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!¡±_

_¡°NO IT WASN¡¯T!¡±_

_Again, the two were at it on one particular day. Raven rolled his eyes, regretting that he had asked Duo to go get some coffee for everyone._

_¡°This is getting old¡­¡± one mechanic muttered nearby._

_¡°Just get to work,¡± Raven replied, rubbing his temples as more shouts were heard from outside. Sighing, he was about to pick up a wrench when the ship shook slightly._

_¡°What in the world was that?¡± Joseph asked, sitting up warily. Everything was still for a moment before another rumble came._

_¡°Shit,¡± Raven muttered, just as red lights flashed throughout the entire ship._

_¡°CODE RED!__ WE ARE UNDER ATTACK FROM AN UNIDENTIFIED GROUP! ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO YOUR __BATTLE__ STATIONS NOW! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!¡±_

_Outside, hundreds of flyers were attacking the battleship Repulse in bombing runs, bombarding the ship¡¯s hull with beam fire. The flyers were arrow shaped, bodies jet black with red trimmings. Repulse retaliated with its own turrets and defense systems, but nailed few of the enemy as the flyers nimbly dodged the gunfire. LOI troops poured out of the ship, either in fighters or mechs. Both sides crashed headlong into an all out dogfight, but the enemy proved far superior over the LOI troops, slowly pushing them back._

_A launch ship flew towards the raging people, it manned by Joseph as everyone else readied to enter the fray. The mechanics¡¯ mechs were modified to carry basic repair equipment. Though lacking in firepower, these mechs were covered with considerable amounts of armour and were very nimble._

_¡°Suit up people! There¡¯re scrap piles that need fixing out there!¡± Raven hollered through the intercom, slipping into his mech._

_¡°Sir!¡±__ Everyone replied._

_Joseph had literally ploughed through into the heart of the battle. A bright blue shield expanded from the ship, covering a large area and shielding troops from harm._

_¡°Ship outpost deployed,¡± Joseph said through the intercom, ¡°Let¡¯em roll guys.¡±_

_The ship¡¯s hanger bay doors opened, and the mechanics flew out in their mechs, latching onto any nearby friendly units, repairing anything damaged on them and refueling them. Just recently had the energy converters been installed onto the mechanic¡¯s mechs, and that significantly increased their performance on the field._

_¡°It¡¯s damn good to see you guys finally hauled yourselves off your asses,¡± one of the field captains said through the intercom. Raven grinned._

_¡°You know us, we love to arrive fashionably late for wild parties like this.¡±_

_Raven suddenly found himself under fire from one of the enemy flyers, taking a damaging hit on the mech¡¯s much weaker back armour._

_¡°Shit,¡± Raven spun round, whipping out his mech¡¯s only weapon, a handgun. The flyer however had long since been hit by a missile and exploded. Something collided with Raven then._

_¡°Watch your back. I can¡¯t always do it for you,¡± Duo¡¯s voice came through the intercom. Several metallic arms surrounded Raven¡¯s mech and began repairing it._

_¡°How degrading, saved by an amateur!¡± Raven said in mock horror, before grinning._

_¡°Got a problem with that Rex?¡± Duo¡¯s mech disengaged from Raven¡¯s who turned round, weapon raised. A flyer behind Duo exploded into a ball of fire._

_¡°Nope.¡±___

_Duo grinned, and the two went off in their separate ways. The battle raged on, and slowly it turned into LOI¡¯s favour._

_¡°They¡¯re retreating!¡± one soldier shouted. The enemy were seemingly pulling back, but something didn¡¯t feel right to Duo._

_¡°I don¡¯t like the looks of this,¡± he muttered as those around him cheered. Unfortunately, his premonition came true._

_Back on board the Repulse, on the bridge, the sensors detected something big. Very big. _

_Everything happened in a blur then A blinding column of light shot forth, decimating half of the remaining LOI troops instantly. Caught off guard, the remaining forces were furiously assaulted by the enemy flyers. This time though, some of the flyers had morphed, their arrow shaped heads splitting into four sections, forming the arms and legs of what looked like a mech. While it¡¯s aviation companion had beam lasers, these had a pair of plasma claws, obviously well meant for melee combat. They moved with insanely speed, swiping LOI troops as they zipped past._

_¡°All units!__ Regroup! I repeat! All unit-¡± A scream of pure agony abruptly cut off the transmission. Presumably one of the enemy mechs had destroyed the squadron leader¡¯s mech, killing the pilot as it did so._

_¡°To all repair units, return to the turtle immediately,¡± Raven¡¯s voice crackled through the intercom._

_¡°Raven!¡±__ Duo shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t just leave!¡±_

_¡°We¡¯ll head back to ship and do what we can with repairs. The Repulse is our main concern.¡±_

_¡°Look around you for crying out loud! People are dying!¡± Duo had just said those words, when just then, another ship loomed into view. It was entirely black, slightly smaller than the Repulse, rippling with red energy, pulsating, almost¡­ alive._

_¡°Dear god¡­¡± Duo heard Raven mutter as the ship¡¯s front opened, emitting a loud rumble, much like a yawn. White energy began to gather quickly._

_¡°EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY NOW!¡±__ Raven shouted, seconds before another column of light burst forward. It seemed like the end for the troops, but fate had other plans in store._

_Another beam shot forth from behind, this time a blue one. It clashed with the yellow column and both exploded, right in the heart of the enemy forces. Flyers and mechs were sent reeling as a hail of burning energy blanketed them, destroying a considerable amount of the enemy. Repulse flew into view, its name gleaming red on its silver hull._

_¡°Duo,¡± a voice came through the intercom, ¡°the commander would like to thank you for designing the new drive system.¡±_

_Duo grinned, ¡°Sure thing Chris.¡±_

_Duo¡¯s sensors beeped just then, and turning in the direction from where the signal came from, Duo¡¯s jaw dropped in horror. The seemingly docile pieces of the destroyed flyers and mechs began to bubble and expand, forming numerous more copies of themselves._

_¡°What the hell?¡±_

_Now, all the enemies began concentrating their attacks on Repulse, explosions engulfing the ship. The enemy¡¯s ship began to gather energy yet again, intent on destroying the opposing atlas-classed battleship._

_¡°At this rate Repulse won¡¯t be able to get her main cannons recharged in time!¡± Duo said through gritted teeth. Without a second thought Duo directed his mech forward, it shooting forward at maximum speed._

_¡°Why do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Raven shouted through the intercom._

_¡°Just what I can.¡±___

_¡°Are you insane?¡±_

_¡°A bit.¡±___

_Raven cursed slightly in his mech. Joseph¡¯s voice came through the intercom._

_¡°What¡¯re your orders cap¡¯n?¡±_

_¡°Give that idiotic newbie some support. I don¡¯t want to clean up the mess of him afterwards.¡±_

_¡°Sir!¡±___

_¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing Duo,¡± Raven muttered, chasing after the said person with the rest of the repair squad and several LOI troops._

_Duo was weaving through enemy flyers and mechs nimbly, trying to close the gap between the enemy¡¯s ship and his mech. A hail of bullets pierced a nearby enemy mech which had tried to backstab Duo¡®s mech._

_¡°Finally decided to tag along?¡± Duo asked, grinning._

_¡°Just shut up and do what you had planned to do you nutcase.¡±_

_¡°Alright cap¡¯n¡±_

_Duo¡¯s mech let loose all its missiles. They hurtled forward, crashing onto the sides of the enemy ship¡¯s mouth like front. The monstrous entity flinched, snapping its opened shut. Instantaneously, the energy it had gathers exploded within the ship, which bloated for a second or two, before erupting into a gruesome explosion, what seemed like blood and innards flying everywhere._

_¡°Gross!¡± Duo said as his mech was covered by the remains. Even from inside, the stench was horrible. However, that became the least of his worried just seconds later. A blur zipped past, and the mech¡¯s back was carved with three streaks. Duo spun round, but it was too late. Three enemy mechs had descended upon his mech, claws vengeful for what he had done._

_¡°Maxwell!¡± a female voice screamed, and that was the last thing Duo heard before everything went dark._

_Some time later, Rika was seated in a room in the medical wing. Watching as the trees and flowers wavered outside the window in an artificial breeze, she sighed. She had on glasses, her hair tied up behind her with a band. A book was on the table beside her._

_¡°Why me?¡± she muttered._

_Just as Rika felt like dozing off, there was a soft groan from the bed nearby, as someone stirred. Pulling off the oxygen mask, Duo cracked his eyes open and placed his arm on his forehead. Both his arms, chest, and head were bandaged._

_¡°I think I¡¯m going to puke¡­¡±_

_¡°There¡¯s a basin right next to you, so don¡¯t go messing up the entire place.¡±_

_Duo turned to look at Rika, who in turn looked back at him expectantly. After a moment of silence he rolled his eyes and turned to the other side, his back now facing Rika._

_¡°So?¡± Rika questioned. To tell the truth, she found Duo¡¯s silence unnatural, almost¡­ unnerving, ¡°I got charged with looking after you by Hara, despite the fact that he has seen us argue about anything and everything.¡±_

_Silence.__ Then, Duo replied, ¡°Thanks then.¡±_

_¡°Thanks?¡± Rika cocked an eyebrow, ¡°For what?¡±_

_¡°For tending to my wounds.__ And besides,¡± he added, ¡°you look too cute like that to argue with.¡±_

_Against her own will, Rika found herself blushing at Duo¡¯s¡­ compliment._

_¡°C-cute?¡±__ Rika stuttered, face a soft pink._

_¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Duo said as he waved his hand, ¡°you really look too adorable for me to argue with you. Much.¡±_

_Rika opened her mouth, found nothing to say, and closed it. After a moment¡¯s contemplation, she looked out of the window and sighed yet again._

_¡°Why am I stuck with this dork?¡±_

_¡°I heard that Rika.¡±_

_Before the quarrel could spark off, the door clicked open. Looking, Rika immediately stood._

_¡°Vice-commander Keating.¡±_

_¡°At ease, lieutenant.¡±___

_Duo grinned, ¡°Hey Chris, what¡¯s up?¡±_

_¡°Obviously not you,¡± Christopher Keating, or Chris for short, checked his watch, ¡°It¡¯s been four days, two hours, and forty six minutes since you blacked out.¡±_

_¡°That long huh?¡± Duo remarked, ¡°and why would you, of all people, come down and see me?¡±_

_¡°I¡¯m merely an escort,¡± Chris stepped aside, revealing a girl a little younger than Duo¡¯s and Rika¡¯s ages. Her light blue hair was tied at the side of her face in a short braid, its end like a brush. Her eyes were yellow in colour, and she wore a military uniform consisting of an orange long-sleeved top, short black skirt, and a pair of brown laced boots._

_Silence settled, but moments later, Duo flinched as he found something landing against his chest and embrace him._

_¡°Ack¡­ Tessa¡­¡±_

_¡°I was so worried!¡± the girl named Tessa looked up, tears brimming in her innocent eyes. Duo could not help but sigh and hug her back. Rika¡¯s face was beet red._

_¡°Commander Loppacafoi?¡± Rika couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. Chris coughed lightly._

_¡°Commander, mechanic Duo hasn¡¯t recovered from all of his wounds yet.¡±_

_¡°Ah,¡± Tessa let go of Duo, blushing slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±_

_¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright.¡±_

_Tessa Loppacafoi, overall head of the battleship Repulse. She has an IQ of over 400, and graduated at the age of 12. She joined the LOI at the age of 13 as Repulse¡¯s navigator, and her rank rose quickly to commander of the atlas-class ship. Now the age of 18, she¡¯s become a veteran when it comes to handling terrorists threats. On a side note, she knew Duo since their childhood days. Her vice-commander, Christopher Keating, a well-seasoned man of battle tactics, was and still is her guardian._

_¡°Thank you for taking care of Duo, __Miss.__ Jun.¡±_

_¡°M-ma¡¯am!¡±__ Rika realised she was being spoken to and began to stutter, ¡°I-it was n-nothing¡­¡±_

_Tessa smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright, __Miss.__ Jun. You don¡¯t have to be so formal.¡±_

_¡°Rika will be fine then, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Rika replied, finally feeling at ease. Tessa nodded._

_¡°How are you feeling Duo?¡± Tessa asked._

_¡°Fine, I guess. And the ship?¡±_

_¡°The ship suffered minimal damages, but 80% of the mechanical units were damaged or destroyed, and 75% of the pilots and personnel were injured in the course of the battle.¡± Chris reported._

_¡°It was lucky that Hara let his best nurse look after you around the clock with so many other patients around,¡± Tessa said pointedly._

_¡°Yes, yes¡­ thanks Rika.¡± Duo replied, stretching his sore body._

_¡°It was pretty easy anyway¡­¡± Rika said dismissively, ¡°he was unconscious after all, so I just had to keep an eye on him to keep him from rolling off the bed.¡±_

_¡°And what is that suppose to mean?¡±_

_¡°Nothing¡­ oh, by the way, you snore too loud for your own good.¡±_

_¡°Hey!¡±_

_¡°See these black rings? I couldn¡¯t sleep with all that sound you were making.¡±_

_¡°Well good. Serves you right for insulting me. I don¡¯t snore!¡±_

_¡°Yes you do.¡±_

_¡°No.¡±_

_Tessa giggled, ¡°The start of a blossoming love affair¡­¡±_

_Duo and Rika looked at the commander, then at each other, before saying in unison the first thing that came to their minds._

_¡°WHAT?¡±_

¡°That was rather stupid, don¡¯t you think?¡± Rika queried, looking over at Duo.

¡°Maybe.¡±

¡°Maybe?¡±

¡°She is a smart girl anyhow. I won¡¯t put it past her to do fortune telling.¡±

¡°Ha. Ha. Don¡¯t tell me you really think that what she said was true?¡±

¡°No. Just won¡¯t put it past her abilities to predict things that will come true.¡±

¡°Right¡­¡±

Somehow, Duo had moved over to the table where Rika was sitting. The sense of getting as far away from each other set in yet again, and Rika was the first to react by standing up. Unfortunately, a blizzard gale had slammed forcefully into _Éclair_ just then, causing the ship to jerk wildly. Rika stumbled, and looked like she was about to fall, when a pair of arms caught her. Looking up, her eyes met Duo¡¯s, and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

¡°What¡­¡± Rika never got a chance to finish what she had to say as her lips were sealed by Duo¡¯s in a soft kiss. Her cheeks flared, eyes widening at what Duo was doing. As they parted, Duo smiled.

¡°Couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±

For a moment, there was silence. Rika was still in Duo¡¯s arms, panting slightly from shock. The fist came flying however as she regained her composure.

¡°YOU IDIOT!¡±

Back in the prison ¡®unbreakable¡¯, one of Chikage¡¯s bodyguards got off his mobile.

¡°Have the cyber angels found anything?¡± Chikage queried.

¡°No, ma¡¯am. Most of the people on the list have been accounted for, and they don¡¯t seem to be related to any terrorist organizations.¡± the bodyguard reported.

Chikage frowned and returned her gaze to Reap and Ellison. The two were sitting on the other side of the table. The warden had brought the two in a few hours ago, but the two had remained silent all this while. Reap smirked.

¡°It seems that your efforts are futile.¡± he finally spoke.

¡°Who do you work for?¡± Chikage asked yet again.

¡°Gods, woman. We work for gods.¡±

¡°Gods?¡±

¡°Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ?¡± Ellison asked. Chikage blinked.

¡°The one who burdened himself with all the sins of humanity? What of him?¡±

Reap smiled, ¡°He has come again. However, this time, he shall crush all those that have sinned.¡±

¡°What are you talking about?¡±

Reap smirked, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. This place shall be your grave soon.¡±

Ellison burst out laughing then, ¡°DIE!¡±

As if prompted by that word, a guard crumpled to the floor, dead.

¡°What in the¡­¡±

The guard had turned round surprised, seeing his companion fall. A split second later, his abdomen was ripped apart, innards and blood splattering across the wall. Cries of pain filled the room for a moment, before everything fell silent yet again. Mutilated bodies laid everywhere, the smell of blood pungent in the air.

¡°How?¡± Chikage covered her mouth, shocked.

Ellison still continued to laugh, ¡°You¡¯re next bitch!¡±

A man stepped out of the shadows behind Reap and Ellison then. He wore traditional Chinese clothes, eyes a vile green and jet black hair tied back in a long braid. The lower half of his face was covered with a black cloth.

¡°I apologize for this, but those who stand in our way must be taken care of,¡± Reap said, smirking, ¡°Kill them.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t take orders from you human,¡± the figure behind the two replied.

¡°So?¡± Ellison spun round, ¡°You were going to¡­¡±

His sentence was never completed. Ellison was on the floor, eyes wide and unblinking, face devoid of emotions. Reap stared shocked at his brother¡¯s corpse.

¡°What was that for?¡± Reap spun round, eyes contorted in rage.

¡°My master has commanded me to get rid of any¡­ trash,¡± the man replied. Reap threw a fist in anger, but it missed as the man grabbed his head with a hand. Instantly his frustration diminished as his face rapidly paled.

¡°W-wait¡­ we were just set b-back,¡± Reap stuttered, ¡°We¡¯ll complete the mission. I guarantee it!¡±

¡°You¡¯ve failed once already, human.¡±

A brief flash of light occurred, and Reap¡¯s body grew limp. The man let go of his head, and he crumpled to the ground, face blank.

¡°Who are you?¡± Chikage asked, forcing herself to ignore the scene before her. The man bowed courteously.

¡°My name is Kaiser. I come from my master bearing a message,¡± the man known as Kaiser straightened, ¡°Do not interfere with our plans again, human. It only delays the inevitable.¡±

¡°Of what? Acts of terror? How many more people are you going to murder?¡± Chikage shot back, ¡°We will never tolerate the likes of you!¡±

¡°The likes of us?¡± Kaiser repeated, before closing his eyes, ¡°He never did tell you, did he?¡±

¡°What?¡±

Kaiser opened his eyes and looked over at Sora, ¡°What¡¯s your name now, Seeker?¡±

Sora had remained still the entire time he was here, head bowed. His eyes were hidden from view by his hair. On the ground, one of the guard¡¯s rifles began to move slightly.

¡°Sora?¡± Chikage asked worriedly, confused by the situation.

Sora raised his head, returning Kaiser¡¯s gaze with his own. He seemed different somehow, what little light flickering across his face. It was cold, and almost¡­ hateful.

¡°My name¡­¡± the rifle on the floor suddenly jerked and flew into Sora¡¯s hand, some blood following in its wake. He brought the nozzle of the weapon towards the surprised Kaiser, ¡°¡­is Sora Truehearted.¡±

The trigger was squeezed, and a hail of gunfire burst forth.

¡°Remember it.¡±

**Author¡¯s Ramble **

Pryce: What¡¯s with the cliffhanger?

FFC: ZZZ¡­

Pryce: Okay¡­

(Pryce pokes FFC¡¯s eyes a few times. FFC stirs slightly.)

Pryce: FFC?

(As Pryce is about to poke FFC again, a claw snaps over his finger and Pryce is thrown across the room)

FFC: ZZZ¡­ need sleep¡­ ZZZ¡­ do not disturb¡­ ZZZ¡­

Pryce: Ouch¡­

FFC: ZZZ¡­ short chapter¡­ ran out of ideas¡­ ZZZ¡­ bye-bye¡­ I ain¡¯t a clean man yet¡­ ZZZ¡­.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Ramble**

FFC: I'm back!

Pryce: After two months.

FFC: Yup. I kind of got stuck at the last part of this chapter, so it took quite a while to get me mind straightened out.

Pryce: It was only the date with…

FFC: knocks Pryce with a large mallet… thingy let them read.

Pryce: unharmed Okay. FFC doesn't own anything. Except me.

FFC: I don't own you actually. Remember you were the one that said you'd become my muse or something.

Pryce: But you wrote me into existence.

FFC: Nope. Microsoft Works did.

Pryce: Huh?

FFC: Nevermind. On with the chapter!

**=Chapter 8=**

Alarms blared in the GISB HQ.

"Code red! All personnel report to your stations!"

"When did the SOS come?" Rio shouted over the din as _Éclair _prepared to take off, "And why do you have a sore cheek Duo?"

"You should know all too well," Duo replied, rolling his eyes. Rika glowered slightly nearby. Jen appeared on the screen then.

"What's going on there?"

"We just received an SOS signal from unbreakable."

"Where Chikage is?"

Rio nodded, "It seems that their under attack by an unidentified force. Could you send Peroth over? I think we might need her powers."

Jen looked over at Peroth, who nodded.

"Okay," Jen switched off his intercom. The two were alone in the hospital room. Peroth had decided to stay with Jen for the time being to look after him. Apparently she still felt guilty for his condition.

"Is something wrong Peroth?" Jen asked, noting her slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Umm…" the brunette started to say something, but hesitated. Finally, she stood, "I think I'll have to go."

"Alright. Be careful."

"Um," with that she left. Jen sighed and looked out of the window. Silence fell for a moment.

"Start afresh huh?" Jen muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, amid a cluster of WNS launch ships, _Éclair _burst forth, leaving behind a trail of blue energy particles.

"We've lost contact with unbreakable," Duo notified everyone, "We'll be going in blind, but we do have the commander's tracking signal. It's reading strong."

"Understood. Suit up everyone."

"Roger!"

Back in unbreakable, Sora was typing at the console in the negotiations room.

"The communications channel has been severed," Sora muttered, "Hopefully the SOS went through."

A warning sign appeared on the screen just then.

"What's wrong?" Chikage asked, leaning over to take a look.

"There's been a security breach," Sora keyed in a few commands, bringing up the surveillance cameras. Several guards were shooting at something.

"What the hell are those?"

"Retreat!"

It was too late. Several creatures nimbly shot forward, pouncing on the guards. Ripping sounds filled the speakers as cries of agony rippled through the entire prison. The creatures were humanoids, standing on their rear legs as their front limbs nearly sweep the floor, claws long and menacing. Their mouths were circular in shape, with rows of jagged teeth lining the gums. Their eyes were blood red, numerous tubes flowing out from the back of their heads, and together with their skin, possessed a pale grey colour. One of the creatures spotted the camera and roared, destroying the contraption with a mere swipe. Static filled the screen.

"What was that thing?" Chikage asked, frightened.

"Soul demons. They're also made from soul cells," Sora replied as he continued to type at the console. Chikage looked at him, a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"Who are you?"

No reply. Dead silence reigned as Sora stopped typing. After a while Sora stood, picking up the rifle nearby and a belt of ammo and grenades.

"Sora?"

Sora loaded the weapon and turned to Chikage. It was a moment before he spoke.

"GISB."

Silence. Then, Chikage smiled.

Outside, in the main field, the cyber angels landed with GISB troops flanking them.

"It's quiet," Rio remarked as thor touched down amid a spiraling sea of dust.

"Too quiet," Duo added. No one was there. In the enclosed space where the convicts would normally hang out, not a single soul could be seen. The silence was deafening.

"What's going on?"

"I don't like this one bit," Duo muttered. Just then his sensors detected something, "The entrance!"

All turned to watch as a guard stumbled out. His right arm was gone, and blood flowed freely from multiple wounds on his beaten body.

"H-HELP!"

That was his last word as something caught him by the ankle and dragged him back in. Screams of pain met the cyber angels' ears as they flew forth with the GISB troops.

"What in the…"

A grey blur pounced forth onto a GISB troop that had flown forward to investigate. Luckily, as it raised its claws, thor's hammer came hurtling through the air and struck the creature, causing it to howl angrily and crash to the floor. Quickly, it regained its ground and dodged the GISB troops' gunfire.

"It's too fast!" a troop shouted. The grey beast was practically running across the walls.

"Just stay still!" Duo grunted as he managed to encircle the creature with his shield. Instantly, various shells flew to it, engulfing the creature in a fury of explosions.

Meanwhile, inside unbreakable, Sora and Chikage were running down the corridor as their footsteps echoed in the silence.

"We have to get to the roof as quickly as possible."

"Um."

As they reached the end, they came to the block of cells they had went through just hours ago. Sora stopped in his tracks and looked around him.

"Is something wrong?" Chikage asked from behind. It was dead quiet, and Sora could detect no life, save for one. Looking at a dark corner for a moment, a pair of red eyes began to glow. Prepping his rifle, Sora shot a grenade out, and it exploded, illuminating one of the grey creatures before engulfing it with a powerful blast.

"Let's go," Sora said, grabbing Chikage's arm. As they were halfway across, snarling sounds could be heard as several grey creatures jumped down from the higher levels. Sora emptied a cartridge at them and followed Chikage. As Chikage stole a peek backwards, she saw the detached pieces of the creatures jerk and take shape into more of the grey beasts.

"How did those things appear here?"

"As long as there are soul cells, these creatures can be created," Sora turned to look at a passing cell. Leaning against the wall was a dead man, his blood splattered across the wall as his eyes were widened, face contorted in fear. There was a faint crystalline line traveling from his hand across the floor, "And there are plenty of them here."

Outside, more snarling sounds caught the GISB troops and cyber angel's attention as they spun round. Soul demons began pouring out of the main entrance at an unbelievable rate.

"What in the…" Duo's sensors detected something behind them. As he spun round, he saw multiple purplish holes emerge from thin air as more soul demons fell to the ground from them, "We're surrounded!"

"All units! Attack!" Rio shouted, and a furious fight ensued.

"What are these things?" Duo grunted, launching guardis' missiles at a pack of the grey beasts.

"We've never seen anything like them before in the matrix," Fio replied, receiving Maya, Eliza, and Peroth's affirmation.

Meanwhile, Sora and Chikage were almost to the roof. Soul demons appeared to block their way, but somehow Sora has been able to distract them long enough for the two of them to escape. The snarling sounds behind them behind them was getting louder by the second as the reached the stairway that would take them to the roof of the prison. Sora spun round just as they reached it and fired a grenade, catching the first demon that came round the corner and exploding. When the dust cleared, Duo and Chikage were long gone. As the two reached the top, the sunlight flooded their eyes as Chikage opened the door. Even temporarily blinded, Sora could tell something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Look out!"

Chikage found herself being pushed aside. In slow motion, she watched in horror as Kaiser appeared, a spectral blade appearing in front of each of his hands as he did a 360 degree turn.

Meanwhile, the cyber angels and GISB troops finally managed to destroy the soul demons, or at least, they stopped coming.

"Everyone, regroup," Rio panted through the intercom, "Support battalion, tend to any wounded and damaged WNS."

"Roger."

"Sis? What's going on down there?" Jen's voice came through the speakers, "Are you alright?"

"The…" Rio never got to finish her sentence as a metallic slash was heard. After a pause, a section of unbreakable's top broke apart and fell, a series of thunderous crashes echoing in the field. A cloud of dust hurtled across the flat plain, blinding everyone temporarily. Rio coughed as Duo's voice came through the line.

"I've detected Chikage's tracking signal on the roof."

Looking up, Rio could just make out a rough shadow. As the dust finally settled, her jaw dropped in horror. Kaiser could be clearly seen, with one arm round Chikage's neck.

"Ma'am!" Rio shouted. Thor's hammer began crackling with electricity, "Let her go!"

Kaiser lifted Chikage off her feet, causing her to wince and choke, placing her in front of him, "If you value your commander's life, you won't throw that."

"Damn!" Rio cursed, "What do you want?"

Silence. It was awhile before Kaiser spoke, "Nothing, human. Your species is worthless. That's why we shall cleanse this world of your race."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your race is like a virus, the plague of this land," Kaiser continued, "This world had been left in your care, yet you've abused it. You've turned this place into nothing more than a polluted, rotting rock with your careless actions. As such, we were sent here to punish your sins."

A spectral blade materialized in front of his hand as he brought it near to Chikage's face.

"Ma'am!" Rio stepped forward, but numerous purple holes appeared. Hordes of soul demons appeared, completely surrounding the GISB troops and cyber angels.

"This doesn't look good…" Duo muttered under his breath.

The soul demons growled threateningly at the GISB members, outnumbering the small force by almost threefold.

"You cannot deny your fate. It is inevitable!" With what Kaiser said, the soul demons leapt forwards, claws open, teeth bared.

"Stand your ground!" Rio shouted, batting away a soul demon, "Assault squads in front! Form a barricade! Support teams aid them! Demolitions in center! Take out as many as you can with one shot!"

"ROGER!"

"Duo, Chi, Mei, Banks. Form a shield around us! Guard them Rika!"

"Got it!"

"Not bad, you've gotten better sis," Jen muttered through the intercom. Rio smiled.

"Not as good as you Jen," thor's hammer began to crackled with electricity yet again, "but I'll brag to you if we make it back alive."

The fighting was furious. The GISB members managed to hold their ground for awhile, but slowly they were beginning to struggle with the enemy's limitless numbers. Chikage had been watching all this from the roof, pain visible in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Kaiser covered it with his hand.

"Watch as they stubbornly refuse to admit their defeat. Watch, as they die, for you."

Those words hit Chikage hard as memories she tried to forget flooded back to her. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

'Not again…' Chikage thought, 'no…'

"I'm out of ammo!" A troop shouted. Various similar calls were heard across the small force.

"Damn it!" Rio cursed. In the prolonged fight everyone was getting tired, and even worse, ammo was low. Even the cyber angels' energy supplies were falling rapidly. To Rio's horror, thor's hammer sparkled violently and went docile.

"No!" a soul demon pounced forward, almost as if it was grinning sadistically as it brandished its claws.

"Rio!" Banks shouted, running over. He couldn't make it however, as the beast came down upon Rio.

Someone else did though.

There was a blinding flash of light, and time seemed to stop as the soul demon hung in midair. Seconds later, it split in two head down, falling limp to the ground. Rio's eyes widened in shock.

"What?"

Across the field, numerous other soul demons fell in the same fashion as the GISB members looked on, stunned.

"What…" Kaiser sensed a powerful aura, his eyes widening, "It… can't be…"

"Why do you say so?" A voice asked.

The oracles sensed a powerful force then, and turned to the direction of its source. Standing there, head bowed, was Sora. In his left hand he held a metal staff, the same one that he had used while fighting Fio in her viral form. On closer inspection however, one tip of the staff had a pair of small black wings that were thrown backwards. That end also acted as the source of the scythe's energy blade. A black jewel was encased on the other end, it's opaque texture slightly reflecting light. The staff's handle held various inscriptions in blood red, of an unknown language.

"Sora?" Fio called. The aura surrounding him was unbelievably powerful.

"My master said that you had lost your powers!" Kaiser exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"Some of them. Not all."

Kaiser cursed slightly under his breath, finally gaining back his composure, "It doesn't matter. Even with your powers you cannot hope to defeat an entire army of soul demons!"

As one the grey beasts surged forward, bearing down on Sora with inhuman speed. However, Sora merely smiled lightly, his eyes hidden from view by his hair.

"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars."

Sora raised the staff in his hand as an unnatural draft caused his clothes to flutter.

"He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a shout like the roar of a lion."

The soul demons continued their charge as the others watched on helplessly. The first few in front leapt towards Sora as energy began to gather at the tip of his staff.

"When he shouted, the voices of seven thunders spoke."

The gathering energy rapidly hastened round Sora's staff as an orb of teal energy gathered. Seemingly having reached its limit, the orb exploded and engulfed everything in a blinding light.

"And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from the heaven say, 'Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write them down.'"

As the light faded, Fio looked around her.

"What… happened?" she heard Maya mutter beside her.

It was as if the soul demons were frozen in time, completely still. Those that were in mid jump were hanging in mid air, their faces still contorted in fury. Sora stood there as the unnatural wind caught his coat. A steady orb of energy was hovering at the tip of his raised staff, it rippling like a water's surface.

"The angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, the sea and all that is in it, and said…"

Sora raised his head, eyes visible now.

"There will be no more delay!"

The orb upon his staff jerked and flashed with a violent sound. The soul demon nearest to Sora exploded into a fury of shimmering crystals. The orb flashed again and again, each time a soul demon shattering into nothingness save traces of glimmering lights, forming a spiraling shape as they all merged into the orb, it growing steadily brighter.

"Sora…" Fio whispered. Everyone else was too stun to speak as soul demons exploded around them. Oddly, the scene looked… calm, almost serene. Yet, that was why it was unnerving. Soon, all the soul demons were gone, and Sora calmly brought the staff to point at Kaiser, who took a step back tentatively.

"Let her go." Sora said quietly. Chikage felt Kaiser's arm tighten round her neck.

"You wouldn't dare harm her, would you?" Kaiser shot back, raising Chikage to his front. She was gasping for breath now as she struggled helplessly.

"Ma'am!" Rio finally got back her senses and shouted. All weapons were all pointed at Kaiser now.

"Put down your weapons!" Kaiser snarled, "If you value your commander's life put them down!"

Hesitantly, all the GISB troops lowered their guns.

"You too," Kaiser added, looking at Sora. However, he didn't even budge, save for the fact that his eyes were hidden from view by a shadow cast by his hair, "Are you listening to me?"

"Chikage."

Chikage opened her eyes slightly as she heard her name being called.

"Chikage," Sora continued, "Are you afraid?"

"Sora…" Chikage winced as Kaiser's grip tightened.

"Keep quiet!"

"Chikage, it's alright to cry. No one is perfect in this world," Sora muttered, "No one can hide from their sadness and fear for long."

"Sora…" Tears began falling from Chikage's eyes, "H-help me…"

"I said keep quiet!"

Sora smiled softly, "Understood…"

The orb on Sora's staff exploded into a magnificent fury, taking the form of a majestic teal energy dragon. Roaring, everything was illuminated with a teal hue as the dragon charged forward, straight towards Chikage and Kaiser.

"NO!"

The dragon crashed through the prison, sending debris flying everywhere as the entire section was ripped apart in a grand explosion. Everyone shielded their eyes from the blinding light.

"…commander."

_"See you tomorrow, Chikage."_

_"Um. Bye."_

_Chikage was at a desk doing some paperwork. Outside, the sun was rapidly setting, washing everything with a soft orange hue, including a figure that stood before the seated Chikage._

_"This is…" Chikage muttered, looking at her own younger form as she continued to write out something on paper, "My memories?"_

_"Chikage."_

_Chikage spun round, and her eyes widened as she saw the man standing at the door. He looked exactly like Jen, though he was older and looked more mature, and had lighter red irises than his brother._

_"Paul…" Chikage whispered. Slowly, a smile crossed her face as she stepped forward. Her younger self however walked right through her and jumped into the man's embrace._

_"Paul!"_

_"I thought I'd come to pick you up, Chikage."_

_"Um hmm. Hold on for a second. I'm almost done."_

_Chikage watched the couple from where she stood. She then looked down at her own hands._

_"Why?"_

_Something wet fell to her palm._

_"Why?"_

_More of the wet spots appeared on her hands. Chikage felt her knees buckle as she fell to the floor, sobbing._

_"Why am I seeing all this again?"_

_Her surroundings began to blur and change, and as Chikage looked up, she was behind herself. This Chikage looked almost as old as her, and she was barring the path of the man known as Paul._

_"I don't want to hurt you Chikage," The man said quietly, head bowed, "Please step aside."_

_"Why are you doing this?" Chikage asked, "Paul? Did Herald or father say something? If it's only a misunderstanding we could…"_

_"No, Chikage. This has nothing to do with the General or your father."_

_"Paul?"_

_"Do you believe in angels?"_

_"Paul, what are you talking about?" Chikage was getting desperate. Footsteps could be heard behind Paul._

_"Do you, Chikage?" Paul asked again, looking up at her, smiling slightly, sadly, "Because they exist, but in a far more realistic way then white wings and flowing robes."_

_"Paul?"_

_"GISB, do you know what it really means? Everything you know, they're all lies, meant only to misguide you from the truth."_

_"What truth?"_

_"The matrix… is a gateway… to another dimension, one which we will never be able to fathom, or overcome…"_

_"He's over here!" A shout came from behind._

_"No! Wait!" Chikage called out as she placed herself between Paul and the band of soldiers. She felt something pull her away though, and her eyes widened as she saw Paul embracing her. A gunshot sounded, followed by numerous more. In slow motion, the Chikage who had been sitting on the floor all this while watched in horror as Paul's back was ripped open by screaming shells._

_"Paul!" The Chikage in Paul's arm cried out, tears welling in her eyes as both of them fell to the floor._

_"Remember… my words… Chikage…"_

_"No! You can't die!" Chikage held Paul as he looked up to her and smiled. Gently, he caressed her cheek, and gave her one final kiss, before departing to the next world._

_"NO!" The Chikage nearby screamed and covered her eyes. The scene blurred away into blankness as she quietly sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks._

_"Why?" she muttered, "Why is this happening? The only person that I ever loved… Why did he have to leave me?"_

_No reply, everything remained perfectly still._

_"Why… did he leave me all alone?"_

_As she sobbed, footsteps echoed as a shadow loomed over her form._

_"Chikage."_

_Looking up, Chikage came face to face with Sora._

_"Sora?"_

_Kneeling, he gently wiped away her tears, "Don't cry, Chikage."_

_"Sora… I…" her voice wandered as she turned away. It was too much to handle for her right now, "I'm sorry…"_

_"For?"_

_"I thought I was strong… I thought that I had gotten over… him, but then…"_

_Silence. It was after awhile that Sora stood, "Memories are nice Chikage."_

_Chikage looked up into Sora's teal eyes and tried to speak, but no words came out._

_"Treasure them. Always. Even if your loved one is gone, he still lives on in your heart."_

_"Sora…"_

_"Let's go back Chikage, everyone's waiting for you," Sora said, extending his hand._

_"Everyone?" Chikage repeated._

_"All those that you still love, Chikage," Sora smiled, "All those people, that still care for you."_

_Slowly, Chikage began to smile also. Reaching out, she took Sora's hand, and immediately the blank space grew white, engulfing both of them in a blinding light._

_"I still have people whom I care for… that I love with my heart. I'm not alone in this world. I never will be. Ever…"_

As Chikage opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a white bed. She had seen this room before countless times, but she never would have guessed she would become a patient of this hospital.

"Ma'am!" Turning slightly, Chikage came face to face with Rio. The red hair was glad beyond description as she embraced Chikage, "We were so worried!"

Absentmindedly, Chikage stroked Rio's hair, "I'm sorry for causing you all so much trouble."

Rio parted from Chikage and shook her head, smiling brightly, "I'll go call the others."

Watching as the girl left the room, a smile crossed Chikage's face. Turning to the window, Chikage watched as the mockingbird sang outside.

"Paul…"

After a few moments, everyone had come to Chikage's room, and upon seeing that their commander was alright, were very relieved.

"If only I was there, I would've made him regret ever holding you hostage," Jen swore, but everyone laughed. The only person who didn't however was Peroth.

"Jen…" Peroth muttered in a silent voice as she watched him laugh with everyone else. Her actions were not left unnoticed however.

Chikage also couldn't help smile, but as she looked around the room, she couldn't find the person she was looking for.

"Where's Sora?"

Silence. Everyone grew quiet. Chikage instantly realised the situation, but chose to wait for an explanation.

"Well?"

"He… disappeared, right after he shot…" Jen's voice strayed, but Chikage understood.

"He had no choice but to do it. You can't blame him."

"But ma'am!" Rio protested, "He could have killed you!"

"Didn't he try something like that some time ago?" Chikage queried. She was referring to the first time Sora piloted Sora, when he was fighting the cyber angels.

"He almost killed us then, but he didn't only because that program in his helm stopped him," Duo retorted, "It's really been bugging me for awhile now. We know close to nothing about him. Also, there doesn't seem to be any records of his existence at all!"

"Do you judge a man by his past, or by how he is now?" Chikage asked. Again, silence fell as no one replied.

"I think…" Fio said after a moment, breaking the silence as everyone turned to look at her, "Sora… isn't really a bad person. Just… unique."

Somewhere else, in the matrix, upon a cliff that overlooked the sea, Sora lay, watching as clouds rolled by. His staff was standing nearby, under the shade of a solo oak tree. A soft breeze was blowing, causing the grass to waver and leaves to rustle. Sora closed his eyes, feeling the sunshine on his skin.

"Dozing off are you?"

Sora opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a young man around his age peering down at him, eyes hidden from view by his blue hair. Sora smiled.

"No, Sora."

The young man smiled back, albeit slightly sadly.

"I won't go back just yet."

"Alright."

"Take care."

"You too."

Sora blinked, and the young man was gone. Sora sat up and looked out to the sea as it glistened in the afternoon sun. Sora looked down at his hand after awhile.

"My existence…"

Everything was serene as Sora stood, the breeze catching his coat as it billowed behind him. Turning, he walked towards the oak tree and touched it gently, feeling the texture of the bark. Sora pressed his forehead against the tree.

"You've grown a lot, Whisper," Sora muttered, smiling. The tree's leaves rustled, as if replying to what Sora had said.

"Thank you, Whisper," Sora answered back, taking his staff, "I'll leave it to you then."

With that Sora raised his staff. A brief teal light engulfed him, and he disappeared.

_The darkness of the human heart…_

_The vengeance that lies in the human soul…_

_What are they?_

_Are those the only things that define humans as what they truly are?_

_Mere beasts in disguise, waiting for the time to go wild and destroy all that they had built with disillusioned ideals…_

_Is that true?_

_Is that… humanity?_

"Neh, where did he go?" Maya grumbled, leaning back against her chair and stretching. She, Fio, Eliza, and Peroth had been searching for Sora the entire morning, but to no avail. So, they decided to take a break at a small café.

"We've searched almost the entire matrix, and the others still haven't found any sign of him outside," Fio added. Silence fell for a moment, broken only by the ice tinkling in one of their glasses.

"Peroth?" Fio muttered, looking over at the brunette.

"Hmm?" Peroth answered back distantly. It was as if she was in a world of her own.

"Peroth, are you alright?" Fio asked.

"Oh. Yes, I'm fine."

"Is something bothering you?"

"Neh, it's about Jen, right?" Eliza said suddenly, grinning impishly. Peroth snapped out of her trance-like state and turned a bright red.

"N-no!"

"Peroth likes Jen hehe!" Eliza sang.

"E-Eliza! Stop that!" Peroth retorted, cheeks burning.

"Neh, onee-sama, do you really like Jen so much?" Maya pressed.

"W-why?"

"You've been spending a lot of time with him lately," Fio pointed out.

"There's no such thing!"

"Neh, other than teaching us at school, all you've done is stay at Jen's side in the hospital the past week."

"I…"

"You even baked him your pastries and cookies everyday."

"Well… it's… just that…"

The three girls leaned in closer to Peroth to listen to what she had to say.

"I… I…"

"Have you girls found anything yet?"

Peroth's heart leapt to her throat as she heard that voice.

"Jen!" Maya, stood, smiling brightly.

"Neh, neh. What are you doing here?" Eliza asked, tugging at Jen's sleeve.

"Just taking a walk. The doctor said that I shouldn't strain myself too hard for the time being."

"Really? You should listen to him then," Fio replied, smiling also. She noticed Peroth sitting there, not even daring to turn round to look at Jen with her beet red face.

'What should I do?' Peroth thought frantically. However, she needn't have worried as her sisters had already begun hatching a plan.

"We'll see you around then Jen," Maya said, pushing Jen into the seat opposite Peroth, who promptly lower her head to hide her blush, giving her no chance to escape her sisters' ploy.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but please look after Peroth for us. She seems slightly under the weather," Fio said, standing.

"Hmm? Is she?" Jen asked.

"I'm not!" Peroth finally raised her head and retorted.

"Your face is all red," Jen noted, slightly concerned. Peroth covered her burning cheeks and bowed her head yet again.

"I-it's just the sun. That's all."

"See you guys then!" Eliza called. Peroth saw that they were already well down the road, and she didn't know whether to cry or to be happy with what her sisters just did. A waiter came by just then.

"Anything for you, sir?"

"Coffee. Black."

The waiter bowed and left. Jen sighed and stretched, and Peroth realised that she was examining his body rather meticulously. Blushing yet again, she looked down at her own black coffee.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jen asked concerned.

"Hmm? Oh! Um… yes, I'm fine." Peroth stuttered, looking up. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she stared into those red eyes of Jen.

"I wonder where Sora is…" Jen muttered, turning to look at the street next to them. Peroth could see a mixture of emotions rising within him.

"What are you going to do when we find him?" Peroth asked. Jen smiled slightly.

"Probably punch him in the face for what he did to Chikage, but I don't know…" Jen sighed as he looked up at the sky, "It's been a long time since Chikage was so… relaxed…"

"Jen?" Peroth whispered, seeing his distant expression. Jen suddenly stretched and turned to look at Peroth.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"A w-walk?" Peroth's heart was thumping madly as she blushed. 'Is he… asking me out for a… date?' she thought. Jen nodded and smiled.

"I hope you don't mind, Peroth."

"N-no, I don't…" Peroth muttered.

"Let's go then."

"Um."

Somewhere else, in his personal room, Valdez sat upon his throne as Kaiser stumbled in, badly beaten. Kaiser forced himself to kneel despite the excruciating pain he was going through.

"M-master…"

"You failed?" Valdez said in an almost bored manner, picking up a cup of tea from the small table next to him and sipping it.

"F-forgive me, master," a mixture of feelings surfaced within Kaiser, fear being the most dominant one. Valdez placed the cup down and stood, putting his hands on his back.

"It appears that we've underestimated Seeker," began Valdez walking towards the shaking Kaiser.

"If you give me one more chance master… I will get rid of him. Please!"

"No."

Kaiser found himself powerless to fight back as Valdez placed his hand on his head. An eerie black glow surrounded Kaiser and his wounds began sealing themselves. When the job was done, Valdez let go.

"Rest, Kaiser, you will need your strength."

"M-master…" Kaiser gasped, almost relieved that Valdez didn't kill him.

"Seeker is too powerful for you to handle alone. I'm surprised that you actually survived."

"T-thank you," Kaiser muttered, unsure of how he should react. Valdez smiled lightly.

"You may leave."

"Yes." Kaiser replied hesitantly, fading into the ground. Valdez raised his hand and his black orb appeared.

"What are you planning next, Seeker?" Valdez muttered, staring into the dark abyss. After a moment, he smiled.

"Let's try something else now."

Meanwhile, Peroth had finally gotten used to the presence of Jen and stopped blushing that much. The two of them were walking around the emporium, unknown to them that they were being followed by three girls.

"Neh, Neh! How far do you think those two will go?" Eliza asked, smiling impishly.

"Maybe they'll do 'that'… he, he!" Maya replied, watching as Peroth and Jen enter a shop.

"Maya!" Fio scolded, blushing, "Don't say that!"

Meanwhile, within the small crafts shop, Peroth was looking at the figurines on display with keen interest.

"They look so real!" Peroth exclaimed, almost like a young schoolgirl. Jen smiled and nodded, eyes examining not only the figurines but the goddess reincarnate standing just beside him.

"Peroth?"

The brunette jumped slightly at the call of her name and spun round. Seeing the woman before her, it took a while for Peroth to realise who she was.

"Aeries?"

Aeries smiled, "So you do remember who I am."

"Are you shopping?" Jen queried.

"Just looking around," Aeries replied, "how about you two? Out on a date?"

The two of them blushed.

"I-It's not like that!" Peroth retorted, but found herself regretting her words a moment later as she fell silent. Aeries giggled slightly, before remembering something.

"Oh," Aeries produced a small package from her handbag and held it out to Peroth, who looked it half surprised and curious. Aeries smiled, "Please give this to Sora when you see him."

"Eh?" Peroth looked up at Aeries.

"You do live with him now, don't you?"

"Umm… but wouldn't it be better if you gave it to him yourself?"

"It does't really matter, Peroth," Aeries said, albeit slightly sadly, "I don't think we'll be seeing each other anytime soon…"

She trust the small packaged into Peroth's hands and, with one last smile, walked off.

"Miss. Aeries!" Peroth called, but the woman was already gone. Peroth looked down at the package in her hand as Jen peered silently at it from her side. A ringing sound disturbed the moment, and Jen picked up his mobile.

"This is Jen Saints speaking… what?" Jen had a surprised expression as Peroth looked up.

"Did something happen?"

"Chikage disappeared from the hospital," Jen replied, before running towards the exit. Peroth didn't follow, for mixed emotions arose within her.

"Jen likes…?" Peroth muttered, unintentionally clutching the package in her hands a bit too tightly. Something breaking could be heard, but Peroth didn't pay much attention to it.

"Peroth!" Jen called surprising the brunette. He stood at the door, waiting for her, "let's go."

Peroth hesitated at first, before finally answering, "Alright."

Meanwhile, Chikage stood before the vine covered gates of what appeared to be a cemetery, only a small shawl draped over her shoulders as she still wore the hospital's clothes. Her hair was down, the medium locks wavering gently in the breeze. Pushing them aside Chikage walked forth and touched the gate. It opened with a soft creak, surprising Chikage slightly. Nonetheless she continued , walking the cobblestone path before her, passing numerous gravestones, some well-kept, others left to be consumed by mother nature. The path seemed endless, yet in the distance a figure loomed, standing before what appeared to be a pink tree. As Chikage approached, a solitary gravestone could be seen just in front of the tree. On it were the words: 'Here lies our beloved son, brother, and husband, Paul Saints'. Sora turned his head slightly as he sensed Chikage's presence, before returning to his original position.

"You came after all."

Chikage walked forth and knelt down, reaching out hesitantly, before finally touching the engravings on the gravestone. A small, sad smile appeared on her lips.

"It's wrong. Paul and I never got married. It was suppose to be on the day after he left this world," no tears came, for there was no need.

"This is your first time here, isn't it?" Sora asked, receiving a nod for the answer. He looked up at the tree for a moment, before continuing, "The cherry blossoms never stop blooming here."

Chikage looked up at the pink tree, watching as the faintly coloured flowers fell gracefully, as if dancing with the wind.

"It's said that the tree obtained its pink colour when it the blood of someone buried underneath it seeped into the roots."

"Blood?" Chikage whispered, before a strong breeze suddenly blew, causing more cherry blossoms to fall from the tree and Chikage's hair to waver. The black coat of Sora surrounded Chikage, falling to her shoulders gently as a pair of hands held her safely.

"He was full of life then," Sora muttered, "and the tree represents it. He still watches you from where he is now, so that you may be safe."

Silence fell, before two single word escaped Chikage's lips.

"Thank you…"

"Chikage!" in the distance, Jen and the others could be seen running towards the two. With Sora's help Chikage stood, just as the group arrived.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," Jen said, panting. Chikage smiled.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't think you'd be so worried."

"Why wouldn't we be? What would we do without our cute commander?" Duo said that, and paid for it with a Rika's foot slammed directly onto his.

"They're at it again…" Rio muttered, sighing as duo hopped around in pain. Seeing that Chikage was back in safe hands, Sora turned to leave, but was stopped by a voice.

"Sora?" Peroth called, cheeks slightly flustered. Everyone turned to watch as Sora looked at Peroth. In her hands she held the partially crushed packaged, "I'm sorry. This was from your mother, but I accidentally…"

Peroth stopped. For a moment, a look of surprise seemed to flash past Sora's face, surprising everyone. However, it apparently was a dream, as his somber face remained, although it did seem slightly strained and sad.

Sora took the package and opened it. He looked at the small broken figurine of a bright red crab resting in his palm, it holding a small scroll. It read: 'Do your best!'

"I guess this completes the set…" the breeze caught the torn remains of the packaging, sending its spiraling through the air with a fresh patch of cherry blossom petals. Sora clutched the small figurine in his hand and held it close to his chest, to his heart.

"Thank you, Aeries."

**Author's Ramble**

FFC: Like it? Hate it? Review pls. Flames are welcome, but not spam or spasms. I have too much of that at home already. Fujizk can be seen jerking about in the background, tossing paper with 'spam' written on them

Sweatdrops Pryce: Interesting ending…

FFC: Would you prefer that all of the girls glomp you?

Pryce: Err… no.

FFC: Too bad. They would eventually.

Pryce: WHAT?

FFC: In another way Pryce. In another way… but for now… CIAO!


End file.
